A/N: So...hello, Tales of Zestiria fandom! I'm Julia, and I've written a couple of one-shots for ToZ before. Now, here I am attempting my first multi-chapter fan fic, and AU, for Zestiria! And seriously, I haven't seen a series that has so many different kinds of alternate universes, nor a fandom so accepting of AUs in the first place. Bad ending AU, modern AU, high school AU, college AU, fairy tale AU, royalty AU, vampire hunter AU, AUs where the characters have disabilities or mental disorders, goodness! Here I am adding more to the modern day college AU pile...but with Sorey being autistic!

...What? Other people have done stuff like this before. I've seen fan fics about merman Sorey, prince Sorey, anxious Sorey, BDSM-themed fics with Sorey being a dom, motivational speaker Sorey, anorexic Sorey (Yes, really. I know two fanfics that exist with that premise), why not a fan fic about an autistic Sorey?...though this is actually kind of a loose adaptation of a book I recently read, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Not one of my HUGE favorites (A Little Princess will always be near and dear to my heart), but I liked the idea and wanted to try something similar with my favorite nerdy boyfriends!

For those of you wondering about updates on Pokemon: A Marvelous Journey, I've kinda hit a writer's block on it, so I'm taking a break from it by working on this because I have SO much inspiration for this fic and I want to get it out as soon as possible. Don't worry! It's not abandoned! No way am I gonna abandon it when I've come so far on it! I have been on a Tales of Zestiria kick, so maybe I'll get inspiration back once I finish this fic. I've actually written eight chapters already and am working on chapter nine, but I held off on publishing it here because I wanted to see how it'd do on Archive Of Our Own first.

Anyway, enough of my rambling. Here's my stupid little fan fic. I hope you enjoy it! If not, that's okay, too!

Chapter 1: The Beginning of Change

He can't smile. He doesn't want to. He feels like garbage. Not even resting his head against the glass window, watching the sky, trees, and scenery run right by him made that awful feeling go away. He never knew how hard just getting through even a minute of a day could be.

Sorey Shepherd's heart felt heavy, and it was like his entire body, inside and out, was being pulled down by some kind of awful, ferocious animal intent to eat him alive. Everything around him was just overwhelming. Voices filling the entire train, leaving no room for him to even breathe or be lost in his thoughts and feelings, or talk if he wanted to, suffocating him. Strange bodies all around him, some running to and fro, all so unfamiliar and invasive, all intruding on his personal space. He wasn't even walking among them, just sitting down waiting for the inevitable, and already, Sorey felt like he had run a painful marathon, and all he wanted to do was go somewhere quiet and be lost in his grief.

Goodness, even his social worker's thick coat rubbing against his exposed arm was grating on him, but there was little room for him to back away. He didn't have it in him to tell her to move a little. For all he knew, she'd probably call him rude and tell him to not be so selfish. She took up so much space, and Sorey's corner of the train seat shrank with every second that passed. It felt so suffocating. He didn't want to be stuck in this stuffy train, feeling cramped like cargo piled onto boxes in a densely packed truck.

Even breathing was hard. Every tired breath he took in made his throat burn. All he did was sit completely still, with his fingers curling onto the big bag on his lap, watching the scenery run right past him.

"We'll be stopping soon, Sorey," The woman sitting next to him informed. Once again, she made no effort to move her arm off of Sorey's, so the itchy fabric of her coat still scratched at his skin.

Losing himself in his thoughts, Sorey made no effort to respond, save for a low hum. He didn't feel like talking. No, he didn't want to talk. To anyone. At all. Of course, his lack of response made the corners of the woman's mouth turn downward.

"Come, now. If someone says something to you, you have to respond. You can't have that kind of attitude when we get to Elysia," The woman told him in a firm, no-nonsense voice.

Sorey's eyebrows furrowed and he kept himself silent. But inside, his blood was boiling. 'Miss Agatha, I don't want to talk to anyone. My mother just died and everything I know and love has been taken from me in one fell swoop, and you're more concerned about my so-called attitude? Why are you even my social worker again?' He wanted to scream and run the heck away. Of course she'd interpret it that way. She never did try to make much efforts to understand him and his reasons for his actions.

For obvious reasons, Sorey didn't have it in him to even say all this. All he said was, "Yes, ma'am," in the lowest, most polite voice he could choke out. He winced at how insecure and pitiful it sounded.

All Agatha did was sigh and turn away. "Look, I get you're autistic and that you're kinda antsy around new people," She explained, talking to him as if he were a child. "But I really want you to be on your best behavior when I drop you off to your grandfather's house. If you make a bad impression, chances are he won't accept you. You're too old to be thrown back into the system, so you're lucky you have family to call your own. Otherwise, you'd be out on the streets."

He squeezed his eyes shut. He knew that already. They had gone over this ad nauseum. He wasn't stupid, and he knew he wasn't. She didn't need to belabor the point. Or, to be more specific, how Sorey could figure out that she was more concerned about getting him off her hands than understanding him in any way, shape, or form. Being used to it didn't exactly make it easier on him, either.

"I really am grateful for that, Miss Agatha," Sorey told her, trying to keep a positive tone.

Agatha simply glared at him and growled, "You better be."

That only made Sorey shrink into his seat even better. 'Why are you glaring at me?! I didn't do anything wrong!' He yelled in his mind, the confusion exacerbating his already sorrowful state of mind.

Agatha's voice soon became white noise as Sorey laid his head against the glass window once more, watching cows and farm houses appear and disappear right before his eyes. Still, everything else around him still flooded his hypersensitive ears.

"Did you make sure my package arrived safely?"

"Mommy! Look! I see a buncha cows and sheep!"

"Dearie, put that away. This isn't play time."

"I wonder if Ladylake's aqueducts are as old as the history books say they are."

"How was your trip to Marlind? Did you go to the grand library?"

"Pendrago university is amazing! I love all my teachers there!"

"Ugh, I hate having to make all these claims. Durn insurance brokers…"

"How much is this old watch again?"

"When are we gonna get to Elysia? It feels like we've been stuck on this train forever…"

Forever, indeed. The past week had felt like forever to Sorey. In a way, he wished time itself would just stop. He didn't want to go from place to place, getting dragged around by complete strangers, being treated like some bothersome object to be sold off to someone else, and having stuff decided for him. He wanted to hide. Hide away from the world. Be lost in his grief. Let himself grieve and cry and scream and mourn everything and everyone he lost and loved with all his heart. But of course, nobody would let him. It's not appropriate or it's not the right time or don't make a scene, they always said.

When would it be appropriate? When would it be the right time? Because as far as Sorey knew, he wanted to just explode, and he wanted to explode NOW. He was getting tired of waiting and being quiet. He hated feeling like this. All the sorrow, anger, bitterness, and grief that kept on amassing in inside of him completely drained any energy he even tried to cultivate...it was all so overwhelming. He didn't even have any energy to even talk to Agatha, even to ask for some water.

No, all he had were memories. Memories, both good and bad, completely overtook him as his eyes closed shut, blocking out the entire world.

It was a day like any other. Sorey was at home, watching a documentary on some ancient ruins play on his TV. He sat in the living room, his green eyes glimmering with delight as the narrator talked about the majestic ruins and murals far out in the Eastern countries. He barely noticed his mother come into the living room, wearing a nice red dress and black high heeled shoes, with her favorite tan pocketbook flung over her shoulder. Her brown hair, longer than her son's, reached down to her chin, bouncing with every step she took.

"You going to be okay by yourself for a while, Sorey?" She asked. "I won't be home until about ten thirty, and you'll probably be in bed by then."

"Yes, Mom," He replied, not taking his eyes off the TV. "You should go and have fun," He assured. "It's not everyday you get to have a girls night out with your friends."

His mother flashed a warm smile as she sat down next to him, resting her purse on her knees. "I know. You've done this a million times before, and you know I trust you," She reached a hand out to stroke his hair. It was supernaturally soft, and her dainty fingers and long nails fiddled with the thick, tousled locks. "But I still worry about you when you're all by yourself."

Finally taking his eyes off the TV, Sorey smiled right back with his eyes closed. He silently reveled in his mother's gentle touch, his cheeks turning pink with delight at the affectionate gesture. "Don't worry, Mom. I'll be fine."

"I'm your mother. It's my job to worry, silly. But you're right," She ruffled his hair once more, which made a subtle giggle escape Sorey's lips. "I know you'll be fine," She took her hand out of his hair. "We've gone over this, but…"

His mother proceeded to go over the rules she always set for him whenever Sorey decided to stay home by himself for a while. Keep your cell phone on at all times. If someone's knocking on the door, don't answer it, even if it's the neighbors, your friends, or the police. No inviting people over when she's not home. If the phone rings and it's a number you don't recognize, or the caller ID doesn't list a name, don't answer it. Sorey had these rules drilled into him since middle school, and although he did listen and take them to heart, he still wondered why his mother felt the need to repeat them ad nauseum.

"I know, Mom."

"I know you know. But I just like to make sure," She scooted closer to plant a kiss on his cheek. "Call me or text me if anything's wrong. I'll come racing back here like a race horse on speed!" She exclaimed.

Sorey broke into peals of laughter. "A race horse on speed. Good one!"

His mother stood up and ambled towards the door. "Tomorrow we'll keep an eye on the mail. Pendrago University's really missing out if they have the nerve to reject your application."

It took a short while for Sorey to calm down, but once he stopped laughing, he waved his hand left and right. "Definitely. Bye, Mom. I love you."

"Bye! I love you too, sweetheart! I'll let you know if it I come home later than I promised, and Kimber's number is on the counter if you need to call her in case of emergency!" With that out of the way, his mother made it right out the door.

Sorey had long since gotten used to nights where he would be alone in the house for a few hours. Since it was about seven o'clock right now, he had about three and a half hours to do what he wanted. He already set himself a schedule for what he wanted to do, in order: take a shower, read a favorite book for a while, blow dry his hair, surf the internet for more scholarly articles about ruins and ancient history, brush his teeth, and then go to bed. All of which he did. Not once did he worry about his mother being late or something happening to her. She always came home when promised, and if she didn't, she always called or texted him if she was going to be late.

There was never any reason to worry.

By the time he had gone to bed, he was sure his mother would come right home at about ten thirty, just like she promised. His cell phone was on his desk, and at a decent volume so he could hear the ring tone, even as he slept, so he would be ready to answer it. It was fully charged, too. He had fallen right asleep, his body and mind drifting off to dreamland, looking forward to tomorrow.

BANG BANG BANG!

Roused from sleep, Sorey was startled awake by a strange sound. But he did recognize it: someone banging on his front door. It was so loud, he could hear it all the way from upstairs. He sat upright, his eyes heavy from being so deep in sleep, and glanced at his clock. One forty six AM. Who in the world would be knocking on his door at that time of night? Was it...a burglar?

He was only barely able to process the noise, but once he realized what might be going on, he lurched out of his bed and grabbed his cell phone, clutching it in his hands so tight his knuckles turned white. But he did open his door and amble down the stairs. All kinds of scenarios were running through his mind. Maybe his mother lost her key and was banging on the door to get his attention? No, that couldn't be it. Why would she be out at almost two in the morning? He didn't hear her voice on the other side of the door either. If she was, she would probably be shouting, "Sorey! Sorey! Can you open the door, please?! I can't get in!" or something similar.

Sorey glanced over to his mother's room, which was just three steps away from his own. The bed was completely empty. The sheets were perfectly made, without a wrinkle in sight. It hadn't been slept in. This wasn't right. Sorey trembled, and his green eyes were wide and alert, but with fear. His mother wasn't in her bed. It was almost two. She was usually in bed by that time.

"Mom?" The seeds of worry began to sprout, and the sprout grew faster than he could comprehend what was going on. Where was she?

BANG BANG BANG BANG!

The banging continued. Sorey reached the bottom of the stairs, scurrying toward the den to look out the window. All he could see was the back of the driveway, but the light in the backyard was turned on, so it was bright enough for him to see if any cars were there. As of now, there were none. Not even his mother's car was there.

This couldn't be right. This wasn't right at all. Where was his mother's car? Where was his mother? She should be here by now. Sorey's chest began to tighten.

"Hello?! Is anyone in there?! Open up, please!"

A man's voice barked from the other side of the front door. It wasn't anyone Sorey recognized. Was it a burglar after all? His body was screaming at him to dial 911 and call the police. His hands were shaking, and his cell phone, being trapped in his hands, bobbled up and down in tune to the rhythm of his hands. What should he do? His mother wasn't here, when she clearly should be here.

All of a sudden, his cell phone blared, causing him to jump in alarm, the ring tone making his heart stop for a moment. On impulse, he answered it, wanting the loud noise to stop. He didn't even stop to check the caller ID or see who was calling.

"He-He-He-He-He-He-Hello?" He stammered.

"Sorey? So you're awake!" A woman's voice exclaimed, right before exhaling a sigh of relief. But he could still hear an oddly fearful waver in her voice, like she was trying to be calm and not doing a good job of it. "It's me, Evelyn. I'm your mother's friend. I went out to dinner with her last night. I'm at your front door right now. The police are with me."

Police? What? His mind and heart were running a million miles a minute now. Just what in the world was going on?

"I know Selene told you not to open the door for anyone, even friends or the police," Evelyn continued. "But this is important. Please come on out. We need to talk to you right now. It's okay. You can open the door for us."

"I…" A lump formed in Sorey's throat, and he couldn't choke anything out. Nothing was making any sense. He wanted to run back to his room and hide. But he knew Evelyn, and she wasn't a liar. Plus, he needed answers, and he needed them now. Silently apologizing to his mother for going against her rules, Sorey hung up his cell phone and pried the front door open.

Greeting him were a trio of people: a dark haired woman in a purple dress, a male police officer in full uniform, and another man in a long brown trench coat. All of them had serious, grim expressions on their faces. Sorey held one of his hands up, blinded by the ghostly red and blue police lights flashing right in front of the street before him. But he was able to notice some gauze on the woman's forehead and hand. Was she injured?

"Sorey!" Evelyn was quick to bound toward him first, wrapping her thin arms around him like she hadn't seen him in years. Her husky voice was overcome with relief. "Thank God you're safe!"

"So this is Selene Shepherd's son, ma'am?" The police officer asked.

Selene Shepherd? "Y-Y-Yes. That's my mother's name. What's going on?"

All of a sudden, Evelyn's grip around him tightened, like she didn't want to let go of him. This was all too much. These strange people are at his house at two in the morning, and only now did it occur to Sorey that he was wearing nothing but his black pajamas, meaning he wasn't decent. His mother strictly told him that he should never wear his pajamas when other people are in the house unless it was for a sleepover. His mind was racing once more. Thankfully, nobody seemed to care about that right now.

"Sorey...something terrible happened…" Evelyn's voice trembled. "It's your mother...she…"

The man in the trenchcoat took over. "I'm sorry, Sorey. There's no easy way to say this," Sorey didn't meet his eyes, but he could tell something was terribly wrong. "Your mother is dead."

It was as though lightning struck in the middle of a clear blue sky, completely destroying everything all around him. At that moment, Sorey saw and felt nothing. His mother was dead? His mother? Dead? Gone forever? It didn't take long for his mind to register the meaning of death and what it entailed. His mother was gone? Gone and never coming back? His eyes began to blur, and the trio of people that stood before him were naught but large masses of colors and shapes that had no meaning, no substance, nothing at all.

"Oh God, Sorey. I'm so sorry…" Evelyn cried. "We were leaving the diner, and...a drunk driver came around the corner swerving around like a mad man. I almost got hit, but Selene pushed me out of the way. They say she...died on impact. She didn't have a chance."

Hit by a car. Drunk driver. Died instantly. The pieces came together, forming a very grim picture. Sorey saw nothing but a dark abyss lying out before him. Before long, he heard a loud, guttural scream that didn't sound human, and at first, he wasn't sure if it was coming from himself or somewhere else. But he could feel warm tears stinging his cheeks right afterward, so that confirmed that the screams were coming from his own throat.

Everything went completely dark. His mother was gone, and he was all alone.

The next week was a blur. Nothing made sense, and nothing felt right anymore. He didn't sleep at all sometimes, and any time he was in the house, everything seemed normal, just fine, except for one huge difference that not even he could ignore. Selene wasn't there, and would never be there anymore. How he was even able to get himself dressed and ready for the days to come, not even he was sure. He didn't have the energy to do anything, but there were places to go and things that needed to be done. In the days that followed, Sorey was completely lost in his mind, trapped in a thick daze, only being able to make out voices that seemed to distant, but were actually closer than he thought.

"What do you mean you can't take him?!"

"You have to understand, miss. He's eighteen. He's too old to be in the system, and we already have a lot of kids who are close to aging out."

"But he doesn't have the support or skills needed to be able to live on his own right no, and he's autistic, too! Where is he going to go?!"

"We're in the process of trying to find any next of kin as we speak. But we cannot take him. Even if we could, we have very little space, and our financial situation won't allow us to hire people who can place him at the moment."

"What? Are you saying that he just stay in that house all alone with no one to turn to in his time of need!?"

"I'm afraid we don't have any other solutions, ma'am."

"If it's possible, I'd like to stay with him until you contact whatever family he has. I'm not going to leave Sorey alone in that house. He needs someone to be there for him."

The short days after that felt like they dragged on forever. Things that were once perfectly routine before were suddenly too much for him. Not even reading his favorite books or watching history documentaries were enough to heal the scars left on his heart. Even waking up in the morning only brought uncertainty, and he always sprung out of bed with the unrestrained enthusiasm of a child on Christmas day. Even Evelyn could see the drastic change in him, and she didn't blame him. How could anyone be happy learning that their mother, the center of their world, and the only real support system they had was taken away from them for no real reason?

A world without his mother.

This wasn't the world Sorey wanted to wake up to.

This wasn't how it was supposed to be.

This was unfair. Completely and utterly unfair. Selene did nothing to deserve this. What did she do to have her life cut short? Sorey had no idea, but even having the answers wouldn't be enough to quell the huge abyss of grief that left a gaping hole in his very soul. To Evelyn, it spoke volumes that Sorey was either completely silent and drawing himself inward, getting through the day with slow movements akin to that of a snail, or locked himself in his room to do nothing but cry, and for several hours, even.

It didn't help that a letter from Pendrago University came in the mail. A rejection letter. Way to rub salt in the wound. Sorey had wanted to go so badly, and was looking forward to fall. Now, the future seemed too dark for him to see. All of his plans for college went down the drain, all thanks to a stupid piece of paper. Other colleges he applied for didn't even send rejection letters, which to Sorey seemed worse, as he could tell the lack of response was secretly code for "Sorry, we've decided not to accept you."

The day after he got the rejection letter, a strange woman came into the house. Without even introducing herself, the woman approached Sorey and told him, "We're sending you to the town of Elysia to live with your grandfather, Zenrus. He is willing to take you. But we have to leave in an hour, so pack what you can. The rest of your belongings will be delivered to you in the coming weeks."

Sorey was given no time to even process the news. They were leaving in an hour-a measly, minuscule hour, which to him was basically no time at all-and Sorey wanted more time to say goodbye to his old home. The home he would never again return to. All he could do was pack some clothes, games, framed photos, hygiene products, and books. No way was he going to leave his Celestial Record collection behind. He was able to squeeze all five volumes into his suitcase just fine.

Before leaving, Evelyn gave him another hug. "I'm glad you have someplace to go, Sorey. I'm sorry I couldn't do more for you."

The boy could barely flash a smile, but he did so anyway. "It's okay. You've done so much for me already. Really, thank you, Evelyn."

"Selene wouldn't want you to be all alone, and no way was I going to let you be thrown out into the streets," She assured, giving him another warm squeeze. "So...this is goodbye. You be safe and take care of yourself. Alright?"

"I will. Goodbye."

By the time the social worker's car turned the corner, Sorey couldn't see his house anymore. He couldn't see anything except blurry shapes and colors and changing scenery that flew right by him. All this did was drill into him that Sorey was no longer staying in his beloved home. Goodbye, Camlann. Goodbye, Selene Shepherd. Sorey wanted to cry, and he had done plenty of it all week. But there were still so many tears that were dying to be shed. He felt like he was going to explode.

"Sorey?"

"Sorey? Wake up!"

"Sorey!"

An intrusive hand poking at his arm roused him from sleep, and Sorey awoke with a start. Crowds of people were leaving the train, and the train itself was no longer moving. He didn't feel the glass window vibrate against his cheek. Agatha looked at him with a disgruntled expression.

"We're here, so get moving," Agatha told him.

"Oh! Sorry!" Sorey scrambled to his feet, following after Agatha as they left the train. "Are we in Elysia?"

"No," Agatha replied tersely. "We're in Ladylake. Well, the station, at least. I called for a car to take us to Elysia. The town has no train station, so your grandfather agreed to meet us at a restaurant called Seraphim Diner."

Ladylake...Sorey had read about it in many books. It was even used as a location in his Celestial Record series, where the main heroes got to pull a sword out of a stone during a festival and become the chosen ones to save the world from the forces of darkness. The sorrow that filled his heart was mitigated somewhat when he took his first steps onto the Ladylake train station, following Agatha as they meandered through crowds and the occasional exhibit.

"The car won't be here for another half hour yet, so we have to wait a while," Agatha explained. "I hope you'll be able to handle this."

"It's okay. I don't mind," Sorey replied. Immediately, he stopped in front of what appeared to be a painting of an ancient mural hanging from a wall. It depicted a man in long, trailing robes brandishing a shining sword, raising it to the heavens, and other obscure symbols and images surrounding him. For a moment, Sorey's melancholy vanished, his green eyes shining as he fixated them on the mural. He pulled out a book and traversed through some pages before he found the picture.

A picture of the very same mural. He held the book sideways, arranging the picture to be parallel to the one on the wall. They were exactly the same. Just seeing the two side by side made Sorey's lips curl into a huge, bright smile.

"Wow! The hero of legend brandishing the Sacred Blade! This mural's the real deal!" Sorey cajoled, not noticing some people standing around him. He threw his fists in the air with a laugh, his book still clutched in one hand. "I never thought I'd actually see this in real life! This is awesome!"

"Sorey!" Agatha's loud voice suddenly cut through Sorey's reverie as she marched over to him, her eyebrows furrowed in anger. "Just what are you doing?!" She shrieked, her eyes wide with horror like she saw someone defacing the mural.

Surprised by her sudden entrance, Sorey winced and backed away some. But he still had it in him to make an attempt to respond. "Look at that mural! Isn't it great? It's one of Ladylake's most famous treasures! Just look! I bet it must have taken the architects years just to carve it out!" He kept pointing to the mural with one hand and kept his book in the other.

Unfortunately, even he could tell that Agatha was not interested in the mural. At all. Instead, her angry gaze was fixated on Sorey and Sorey only. She yanked on the arm carrying his book and pulled him away.

"Wha-?! Hey!" He was barely able to maintain his balance, and she yanked on his arm so hard that for a moment, he thought she was going to pull his arm out of its socket. Boy, did it hurt, and the callouses on said hand was rubbing against his skin, and rather uncomfortably, at that.

"We're not here to dilly-dally!" She scolded.

"But can't I at least take a picture with my phone?" Sorey asked, wishing she'd let go of him already. "I'm not gonna take long, I promise! We still have half an hour!"

"That's not the issue here! People were staring!"

Any attempt at reasoning with her further was futile, so Sorey wound up conceding defeat as she dragged him over to a set of chairs. Still, he couldn't understand why she was so mad. All he was doing was admiring the mural. It wasn't like he was breaking the glass or defacing it. No way. Important artifacts like that were way too important to be destroyed, and Sorey was smarter than that. He was raised better than that. His mother raised him to respect everyone's property, even his own. He wasn't some wild animal that needed to be tazed or something.

The two of them were silent as they sat down, watching the sea of people crowd all around them. Sorey kept one hand on his right ear, as the combination of people talking and screeching train noises were making his eardrum throb. Agatha simply scrolled through her phone, looking through some internet pages. Sorey sighed. This was going to be a long half hour. All of a sudden, Agatha's phone rang and she stood up, answering the phone. She turned around, her back facing Sorey, leaving her completely occupied.

"Hmmm...it's getting loud in here," Sorey mused to himself. But more than being uncomfortable, he was bored. He wanted to read his book, but all this noise around him flooding his sensitive ears didn't exactly provide the ideal environment for quiet reading. He did, however, find it in him to tap the cover of his Celestial Record volume one with his hands, like he was drumming on a drum, then humming a tune to himself.

"Naaa naaa nananana na naaa naa naaa…" He repeated those same notes over and over again, keeping his voice low and soft, just to pass the time. He always found singing this singular melody to himself soothing, and drumming his hands on his favorite book gave it a real rhythm. "Naaa na-"

"Quit that singing!" Agatha suddenly barked out of nowhere. Sorey winced in alarm, almost dropping his book, had he not managed to grab it.

"What? Why?" Sorey's mouth fell agape. Again, why was Agatha so mad? As far as he knew, he kept his voice at a reasonably low volume.

"Please don't do this, Sorey. You're going to make people stare at us."

That was what she was concerned about? Sorey couldn't believe it. Why was she so concerned about people staring at them? "I'm not doing anything bad!" He exclaimed.

Agatha sat back down on the chair with a grunt. "Just be quiet and wait."

Obviously, she was in no mood for listening to him. Sorey then wondered why he didn't just hum to himself, without using words. He bobbed his head back and forth, humming the tune quietly, not singing aloud this time.

"Stop humming!"

"Why?"

"Just don't do it," Agatha growled.

Sorey's palm met his face. What was her deal? He couldn't believe she was making a huge deal out of everything he did, like he was some kind of troublemaker. Her not answering his questions as to why only exacerbated his already growing irritation with her. Then again, this wasn't the first time something like this happened. Just because it happened often didn't mean dealing with it was any easier.

Then something caught his eye. A small food stand just a couple feet away. It looked like an ice cream shop. To Sorey's delight, they made soft serve! He watched as an employee wearing an orange apron handed some vanilla ice cream to a little girl with a smile on his face. A craving for his favorite treat suddenly surfaced. But did he have money? Sorey rummaged through his pocket, his fingers feeling some crinkled dollar bills. He managed to pull out the following: A five dollar bill and a one dollar bill, which made six bucks. Good, he had enough. The line wasn't long, so he could easily run over there, grab some, and get back before Agatha could start worrying.

"Miss Agatha? I'm gonna run over there and buy some ice cream. Is that okay?" Sorey inquired politely.

"Alright. But don't take long," Agatha replied.

Sorey's smile returned. "Don't worry! I'll be back in a jiffy!" He sprung right out of the chair and made a beeline for the ice cream shop. It didn't take long for Sorey to be handed a small cup of vanilla soft serve. Once he paid, he quickly took two whole bites, not minding that his tongue was starting to freeze.

"Mmmmm! Soooooo good!" Sorey rejoiced as he took a third bite, savoring the cold taste of the creamy substance that melted on his tongue. Yep, to Sorey, this was heavenly bliss.

Too bad he was immediately pulled out of said heavenly bliss by the sound of high pitched crying. A hand flew to Sorey's ear as he turned around, seeing the girl from before standing just a few feet away. He could see tear stains on her cheeks thanks to the light filtering in from the windows. Then he looked down. An ice cream cone lay before her feet, splattered all over the ground. So that's what happened. Sorey could only assume she dropped it by accident.

He looked at his own ice cream, then at the girl, at the cone, then at his cup. Maybe...he didn't particularly need any ice cream, and managed to get three bites, so he was perfectly satisfied. It wounded his heart to see the little girl cry like that. With a soft smile, he ambled over to the girl and kneeled to her level, taking care to maintain some distance so he didn't come too close.

"Hey there. Don't cry," Sorey cooed in a low, soothing voice, right before holding his ice cream up in front of her. "You can have mine."

The minute he said that, the girl's crying ceased, and her eyes navigated toward the ice cream cup before her. For a long moment, the girl could only stare in ceaseless amazement at this kind gesture. Who was this man, and where did he come from? Whoever he was, the girl very slowly took the ice cream cup out of his hands. It was fresh and cold to the touch.

"Is...this okay? I mean, it's yours. You paid for it, right?" The girl asked, already feeling guilty about taking his food.

Sorey flashed a warm smile. "It's okay! I don't mind! My friends tell me I need to eat less sweets anyway!"

It was the girl's turn to smile. "Wow! This is so nice! Thank you, mister!"

Something warm blossomed inside of Sorey. Whatever sorrow he had disappeared the minute the little girl's frown bloomed into a bright grin. "You're welcome. Just be careful, okay?"

With a grateful nod, the girl trotted back to her mother's side before using her free hand to wave goodbye. Sorey waved right back, happy that he was able to brighten someone's day, even if his own wasn't exactly the brightest. Of course, even that moment had a damper thrown on it the moment Agatha marched right over to him.

"Sorey! You can't just go up to a little kid and give her your food!" Agatha scolded, waving her finger at him like he was his mother. Alarmed, Sorey stumbled two steps backward as her voice had gone up an octave. "Do you want people thinking you're some kind of pedophile?!"

"No!" Sorey snapped back. "She dropped her ice cream and I was just trying to help!"

"That's none of your business. Let her parents handle it. You have no business meddling in other people's affairs," Agatha palavered on and on.

Meddling? Now Sorey's blood was boiling. As much as he didn't want to raise his voice, he couldn't help it. Agatha was seriously getting on every single nerve in his body. At this point, it was high time he stood up for himself. "How is wanting to be nice to someone meddling, and I wasn't being a creeper, either!"

"Just stop, Sorey!" Now Agatha was screaming. Sorey's hands flew to his ears. It was as though an explosion had occurred, her screaming being the blast itself. "Stop being so stubborn and difficult! Please, just act normal for two seconds! Ugh!" Agatha ran her hands through her hair. "Are all of you autistic people always this fussy?!"

It was that comment that made people stop and stare. Not at Sorey, but at her. Sorey could tell when all of those eyes were on him and when they weren't. Ironic, as all her worrying about him attracting unwanted attention, and she was the one instigating it with all her yelling. Sorey could only facepalm once more. As much as he didn't want to admit it, that last part struck his already broken heart like an arrow flying right into an animal's hide, killing it instantly. But he didn't want to show any weakness. Not here. This was not the appropriate time, and making the situation worse was the last thing he wanted.

"No. I'm not being fussy. I was just trying to be nice, that's all," He affirmed in the calmest, most stern voice he could muster. "I wasn't trying to cause any trouble. That's the last thing I want."

Thankfully, that was enough for Agatha to drop the issue altogether. However, he could still see from the way she hunched her shoulders and kept sighing that she was still frustrated. He didn't say a word to her.

"...You're right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have...overreacted," Agatha hissed, looking down at her phone. "Come on. Our ride is here."

With that, they made it to the front of the station. A blue car greeted them when they came outside, and they were quick to get inside. The driver pulled away from the station, and they were back on the road once again. Sorey rested his head against the glass window, watching the scenery fly right by him. All he wanted to do was go somewhere quiet and rest. Hide far away from Agatha and her rudeness and condescending nature. Away from all the noise, all the terrible memories, all these horrible, awful feelings of anger, confusion, sorrow, and bitterness that were continuing to amass inside of him.

"Your grandfather's not feeling well, so he won't be picking you up like we originally planned," Agatha finally told him, ten minutes after they left Ladylake. "He's arranged for his housekeeper to come get you instead. Her name's Lailah Fethmus," She pulled up a picture on her phone, showing it to Sorey.

The brown haired youth turned his head to get a better look. The woman in the picture was very pretty, with long, silvery white hair tied in a high ponytail, with blue green eyes and donning a red and white dress that fit her figure very well. It helped that she had a very nice and inviting smile. Even Sorey couldn't help but smile at the woman, in awe of her beauty.

"She looks nice."

Just as quickly, Agatha took her phone back. Again, the drive was silent, as Sorey didn't feel like talking to her, nor she with him. Sorey silently prayed that this housekeeper woman-Lailah-would be nice and kind, unlike Agatha, as much as he hated thinking negatively about the latter. Finally, they passed a sign that said, 'Elysia Welcomes You!' in bold black letters. They made it. Sorey wondered if they would be arriving at the restaurant soon.

There were still some questions he wanted answered, though. What better time to ask them than now?

"Umm...Miss Agatha?" Sorey asked, his voice quivering with uncertainty. He hated how unsure he sounded. "What's my...grandfather like?"

"You better behave yourself when you get to his house. He won't like you causing trouble," Agatha answered tersely.

"I...notice you didn't answer the question."

Another exasperated sigh escaped Agatha's lips. Sorey could see her hands clutching the straps on her purse rather tightly. "I'm surprised no one told you about him. Zenrus is very strict, and doesn't like funny business. He expects the best behavior from everyone, even his housekeeper. If you do anything to upset him, I can only assume he won't be lenient in his punishment. He is also getting on in years, so again, don't do anything that'll make his health waver."

It was Sorey's turn to sigh. Great. Not only was Agatha continuing with her wrong assumptions about Sorey, everything he feared about what his grandfather was like was coming true. He knew little about him, so of course Sorey was unsure of what he was like. They hardly ever met, so this was to be expected. Even so, as much as Sorey wanted to see the positives of the situation-he wasn't out on the streets, thank goodness for that-confusion and doubt continued to linger. Would he even be able to live with his grandfather? Sorey wished he had the answers. Then again, what would having the answers do? They certainly wouldn't bring his mother back, that's for sure.

Sorey once looked forward to the future. Now, he didn't even want to think about it. Everything was so confusing, uncertain, and overwhelming. Sorey could only see darkness waiting for him, a bottomless pit from which he couldn't possibly climb out of.

His eyes blurred once more. He wanted to smile, happy that he had someplace to go. At the same time, he wanted to cry so, so, so bad. What exactly did the future hold for him?

A/N: Yeah. Sorry for the downer beginning. I really wanted to try setting things up and establishing Sorey's character before just having Sorey go to Elysia. Don't worry! Happy times will come for Sorey soon! I promise! If he comes off as being out of character, and I will admit most of it is done on purpose, I do apologize. I really want to do this right, and I have so much inspiration for this fan fic. I really want to get all these ideas out! I do hope you enjoy it regardless of accuracy, and if not, that's alright, too! Anyway, here are some notes in case anyone's wondering.

1. The Celestial Record is a series of books in this fan fic rather than just one book, which in this universe is a fantasy fiction series that uses actual locations, rather than a retelling of old legends and events that happened in the past. I wasn't sure if its real purpose in the game would fit here, so I tweaked it a bit. Sorry!

2. Muse is alive and well. She'll actually be an important character.

3. Morgrim and Oysh, the animal seraphs in the game...are just regular animals here.

4. Instead of being Sorey's adoptive grandfather, Zenrus is his biological grandfather and Selene's father in this fic. I wasn't quite sure if having him being an adoptive grandfather would work in the context of this story so I made them related to give social services a more legitimate reason to give Sorey over to him.

5. Michael's here too, but he won't appear until much later.