So, this is obviously a prequel to the game. I'm trying hard to stick as close as I can to cannon information but obviously it will divert and there will be need for some artistic license here and there. Have fun seeing if you can tell fact from fiction… This is mostly me exploring Yulia Jue's character and relationships with Lorelei and the seven sages that followed her.

This chapter is mostly just introducing the three main characters. No, Flail Albert and Valta Sigmund are not OC's. Although, technically, since none of us have actually seen the characters in action... you could argue that they're all OC except Lorelei himself.

Oh, and I recently discovered you can actually reply to reviews! So from now on I'll be replying to reviews both in Florian the Innocent and this one. Exciting, no?

*~ Breaking Dawn ~*

A boy stood among a sea of golden flame. He looked to be a mere youth but the glint in his impossibly clear green eyes belayed his true eternal nature. His long mane of red descended down his back and gently whipped about the fire surrounding him but did not burn. He was at home in the sea of flames. Perhaps he was a flame himself. Despite what she knew should have burned her flesh, the light surrounding them was soft, warm and kind. He didn't need to tell her not to be afraid; how could she be afraid of such a gentle light? He smiled as if in response to her thoughts and slowly reached a hand out to her. She stretched her body forward to take that hand and noticed his lips move but no words could reach her.

Darkness and a low throbbing of pain. The girl yelped more in surprise at being thrown from her dream to reality than the fall off her bed. She groaned as she rubbed the ache in her lower extremities and climbed unsteadily to her feet.

"That same dream again," she mused, pursing her lips together in thought. She didn't mind. It was a nice dream but she dearly wished she could touch that boy's hand one day and hear his voice. She imagined he had a very lovely voice to match his lovely face. With a blush she laughed at herself and shyly rubbed a hand through the short, faded blonde locks that dangled straight above her shoulders. "I'd better watch it," she teased herself. "Who gets a crush on a dream person?"

She stretched and moved to the hole in the wall that served as her personal shower. Cold water again, but what more could she expect from a dorm? The Ispania Academy was kind enough to give her and others who could prove themselves useful free lodging and use of their facilities so she had no right to complain anyway.

With a faint smile she discarded her night gown and set to work scrubbing away her sleepiness. Today she had to check on the cheagles, record any changes in their fonon levels, deliver some papers to the main office and hopefully get some of her own projects out of the way.

"Normal fourteen-year-olds wouldn't be worrying about this stuff." She laughed at herself again as she gathered her towel and turned off the water. "Normal girls would be worried about who they were going on a date with…"

His hair was brighter shades of red and orange than the sunset itself. Long bangs were parted to the side so his eyes could remain locked fully on hers. She had never seen that shade of green before. It was such a bright hue it almost looked blue when the flames around him flickered at the right angle. Those eyes that were always watching her; inviting her closer with their warmth.

There was that boy from her dreams again and she blushed. She couldn't help snickering at her fluttering heart. How silly she was about that dream! But she truly would love nothing more than to talk to him just once.

Smiling she stumbled out of the shower and into her underwear which she covered with a simple, sleeveless white dress ending just above her knees. She paused at her closet before reaching in for an over vest consisting of lavender and pastel yellow. Once it was properly buttoned in place she slipped a long, equally yellow material around her back and tucked them under her upper arms. She thought for a moment before securing the trailing ends behind her back with two large blue beads. That would keep it out of the way from any dangerous chemicals she might come across. She pulled on two white gloves and tugged her boots into place before surveying her attire in the mirror. Perhaps she wasn't the most fashionable but it looked professional enough while giving her at least a small sense of self expression.

"Not like there are any cute guys my age to impress in the labs anyways," she said, winking one of her light verdant eyes at her reflection. With a mournful sigh she equipped her bag and looped the belt about her middle before pushing open the door to go face the world.

Ispania Academy was a modern castle in itself as far as she was concerned. Every inch of white stone was of the finest quality and the warm bath of fonstones lighting her path glinted brightly but not harshly. Every wall and table was mounted with a work of art even though it normally went without notice to the busy students and academics that raced up and down the halls as if their legs couldn't get them back to work fast enough. The girl mused with the idea of taking the long way to the lab but knew better than to keep her mentor waiting. Even as she half heartedly made note of the beautiful weather they were having (that she would miss while at work) her mind drifted back to her dream again.

The boy's clothes were dark but mostly hidden under his white coat that trailed the lengths of his leg on either side. Dark blue, almost black, trimming traced his slender yet muscular frame and drew her eyes to his chest and shoulders. The thick, equally midnight blue scarf around his neck trailed behind him and fanned out dramatically against his back, making his silhouette that much more striking in her eyes. His soft lips parted as he spoke muted words…

"Yulia Jue!" an elderly voice barked, earning a yelp from the daydreamer. The ancient man narrowed his eyes as her feet lifted her nearly a foot off the ground as if in attempt to match the impossible octave of her squeal. His lips twitched upwards but were thankfully hidden in his massive beard of white.

"D-Dr. Southern-Cross, you startled me," Yulia said, putting a hand over her chest to keep her heart from racing out of her ribcage.

"Apparently so," the scientist mused. He waited for her to regain some composure before speaking again. "Did you have another one of those dreams?"

"Oh, no, not one of those… I had a dream about that boy again," Yulia admitted with a faint blush. There was no sense in lying to Southern-Cross. He had known her since she was first brought to his original labs in Kether as a small child so he had become very fluent in her body language. The man was somewhat disappointed but not undaunted. He acknowledged it with a grunt.

"It's a reoccurring dream so we can't dismiss it," Dr. Southern-Cross said. "It may have something to do with the future or the seventh fonon. Please make sure you record exactly what happened."

"It was just like the other times; nothing new," Yulia said with a sigh. "It's been that way since I was little…"

"Frustrating, hm?" Dr. Southern-Cross had turned away and was only asking to be polite as he focused on a display screen of various frequencies. Yulia knew she only had his divided attention and barely a fraction of even that now but spoke anyways.

"Not really," she said thoughtfully. "Honestly, it's like seeing an old friend… Like he's been with me since I was little. I don't really remember my family or friends anymore so it's nice to have someone familiar with me even if it's only in my dreams."

"Have you had any other dreams recently?" Dr. Southern-Cross asked rather than indulging her musings.

"None about the future." She had to suppress another sigh. She would be lying if she said she was surprised he only cared to hear about what he deemed as relevant dreams. The young prophet couldn't fault him for it even if it was taxing at times. Yulia knew how hard he had been working since the beginning of the Fonic War and how important his research was. In many ways it was the catalyst of the violent eight year old conflict and hopefully it would bring about the end. She only wished her strange power could help more but even seeing the future had its limits. If only she could see it a little more clearly than the vague sounds or shapes that could be interpreted any number of ways. Luckily she also had her own intelligence to fall back on and aid the doctor in other ways. Even though she had originally been brought to him as a test subject those nine years ago she had proved herself to be more than useful as a scientist in her own right under Dr. Southern-Cross' guidance.

"I'm going to check on the cheagles." Dr. Southern-Cross only grunted at her retreating back while he mused over the latest fonon frequencies he had obtained.

"Meiu! Meiu meiu!" The high pitched chirps were as deafening as they were cute. Yulia smiled at the caged creatures; their exaggerated ears, friendly eyes and various shades of fur were nothing short of adorable. She chuckled and reached into the bars to scratch their ears or let them play with her fingers as she went over the charts half heartedly.

Cheagles were truly fascinating creatures. Most of their understanding on the nature of seventh fonons came from observing the little beasts. It seemed that they were naturally attuned to the seventh fonon. Their potential to manipulate its powers were on par with a seventh fonist. No, in all honesty, they had a better understanding of the seventh fonon than any human.

"Goodness, it looks like you healed yourself from that bump yesterday!" Yulia praised a small orange cheagle. "Look at how clever you are. Do you think you could show it to me, Pochi?"

Pochi regarded Yulia shyly as it pressed its little paws together. The small creature glanced about to make sure only she was watching before forming the tiny green glyph and demonstrating its healing arte. Yulia clapped appreciatively, praising it for its hard work. She was always gifted with these rare demonstrations by her cheagle friends. No one spent as much time as she did with the tiny animals although, admittedly, it wasn't entirely by choice.

"I think I'm starting to figure out your tricks, too," Yulia said, enjoying the shocked look on the small creature's face. "Watch!" She closed her eyes while feeling for the seventh fonons that were always at her side, carefully mumbling a soft fon verse while a tiny teal glyph formed at her finger tip. With a sigh it dispersed and she rubbed the back of her head nervously. "I haven't entirely gotten it, though…"

Still, the cheagles were impressed and chorused their approval and encouragement in a symphony of squeaks and squeals. Yulia smiled at their praises. She wasn't quite confident enough on her control to try for more than that; the seventh fonon was surprisingly difficult to summon and never entirely stable for some reason. She was confident Southern-Cross would crack the mystery of the seventh fonon soon enough though and then they could start experimenting with various types of artes based on its healing properties. The great scientist was the one who had discovered it, created the Planet Storm and solved the energy crisis a few years back. She was confident there was nothing her mentor couldn't do.

"Yulia!" The ancient called and seemed irritated with the fact he had to raise his aging voice at all. She must have taken too long or not heard him the first few times. With a quick promise she would visit the cheagles again soon Yulia scrambled to her mentor's side.

"Yes, Doctor?" she called back pleasantly as she entered the main lab. He sighed at her before removing his spectacles and rubbing his bleary eyes. Yulia frowned. "Doctor… did you spend the night here again?"

"Child, you don't understand the urgency of my research." His voice sounded as heavy as his eye lids no doubt were. "Yulia, I shouldn't have to tell you just what my discoveries have cost the world…" Yulia flinched and rubbed her arm uncomfortably with a short nod as her eyes averted from him.

"No… I understand," she said softly. "it's hard to believe it's been eight years since it all began. The Kingdoms of Hod and Kether really were destroyed, weren't they?"

"Yes, they were," Dr. Southern-Cross confirmed even though he knew it was a rhetorical question. There was no way Yulia nor would he forget the death and destruction of their homes. "Half of the human population… gone in one month. If my research could lead to such a horrible tragedy then I must take responsibility and end it…"

"Please don't push yourself too hard," Yulia said as she looked back at her mentor. "If something happened to you I don't know what I would do. It wasn't your fault the world became this way. You didn't order the six kingdoms to attack one another." The old man's cheeks wrinkled into a smile beneath his beard. Even though he didn't deserve such feelings, it was kind of her to comfort him.

"Hm… Indeed. Never the less, we must focus on uncovering the true nature of the Seventh Fonon," Dr. Southern-Cross said, trying to force them back to business. "Thus far we know it has the power to heal, rarely occurs naturally outside of the fonbelt or the core and is directly related to memory particles." Yulia nodded but said nothing, knowing he wasn't saying this for her benefit so much as trying to think his way through something.

"Yulia, what I'm searching for right now is a way to end this violent debate that has torn our world asunder," Dr. Southern-Cross said. "I must uncover whether a Seventh Sentience exists."

"A-A Seventh Sentience?" Yulia chocked on the concept. Everyone was well aware of the Six Sentiences: Shadow, Gnome, Sylph, Undine, Ifrit and Rem. All of which were considered gods according to the teachings of the Church of the Six Sentiences. A seventh one could rewrite religion as everyone knew it and shake the very foundation of life on Auldrant more so than any war could ever hope to.

"Since a massive amount of fonons are required for a Sentience to appear and there are so few Seventh Fonons naturally occurring, I suppose it's only natural we have never seen it before," Dr. Southern-Cross continued, ignoring the growing look of anxiety on the profit's face. "However, with the Planet Storm in place, even as damaged as it has become from Kether's destruction, there are bountiful Seventh Fonons everywhere. I'm hoping that if the Radiation Gate can generate enough that it will reveal itself."

"If we don't know its nature… what if it's dangerous or unfriendly to humans?" Yulia asked, imagining a great, hulking beast looming over them.

"For the sake of this world… that is a risk we must take. With the world plunging deeper and deeper into despair I'm afraid uncovering the Seventh Fonon's true nature is the best we can do," Dr. Southern-Cross sighed unhappily as he replaced his glasses. He allowed the silence that had fallen between them to continue as Yulia pondered the implications of proving the existence of a Seventh Sentience.

"Ah, as for the reason I called you out here," he said, breaking the mood that had settled between them. "I was starting to get hungry so I hoped you would go fetch us some breakfast."

"Couldn't you ask a servant for that?" Yulia groaned. Even though she was fairly agreeable and patient with his whims that didn't mean he could order her around.

"Oh, I thought you would love an excuse to get out in this weather." Dr. Southern-Cross didn't need to look up to see her face switch from frustration to joy as she realized the method behind his madness.

"I would!" Yulia said brightly, clasping her hands together in excitement. After such a dark conversation she needed the fresh air to clear her head anyway. "I'll be back soon!"

"Ah, to be young and in love with the world…" The aged scientist sighed as he watched her all but skip towards the sunshine and fresh air.

"Master Valta… Master Valta?" Warm voices were certainly nice to hear on warm days. "Hey, Valta!"

Ah, but this one apparently needed something.

"Brother, you don't need to call me Master." The dark blonde young man smiled down with his cinnamon brown gaze. He refrained from laughing at the older teen's hands-on-hips-you're-in-for-it-this-time posture. Icy blue eyes glinted up at him against the sunlight.

"If Count Sigmund heard me talking disrespectfully he'd be irritated," the boy said with a shrug. "Now, get down from there! You'll ruin your clothes climbing trees like that."

"My clothes? You're worried about my clothes?" Valta whined. "What about my safety? I'm really high up, you know?"

"If we're lucky, when you fall you'll land on your head, young master," the pale brunette sniffed, biting back a smirk. "Not even gravity could break something so thick."

"You're so cold, brother," Valta whined again before obediently slipping off his branch and landing with both feet, knees bending to absorb the shock before springing back to proper posture. He smiled. "Ah, I'm still taller than you again today."

"Don't be so proud of your height! It's only a matter of time before I get a growth spurt, too."

"Even though you're six months older, it's still like this, huh?"

"People grow differently; it's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Then why are you sulking so much?"

"Why you…!"

"Master Valta, Flail, stop that at once!" a maid ordered from across the courtyard. "If you wrestle each other over there you will ruin Madam's flower bed."

"Even she isn't worried about my safety," Valta said with an amused sigh. "And here I am being assaulted and everything…" Flail rolled his eyes as he dropped the taller boy and stood up to wave at the maid.

"We'll be careful! Don't worry," he called. "I'm just getting the young master to his studies." The servant seemed satisfied by this and continued her duties.

"Geez, brother, do I have to?" Valta asked as he also hopped to his feet. The glare he received told him he wasn't going to smooth talk his way out of anything. Not that he ever could when it came to his big brother.

"I'll let you study outside this time, though," Flail relented at the dejected look on the blonde's face. "It is a really nice day…"

"Maybe I can watch your sword practice, then?" Valta said more than asked, grinning happily as he followed Flail to retrieve his books. He half heartedly noted the way his servant's high pony tail bobbed back and forth with each step. Sometimes he felt like a cat; that hair could use a good smack, but that ran the risk of getting him smacked in the head.

"Why not?" Flail shrugged, not bothering to look back knowing Valta would fall into step with him eventually. "Once you finish your studies for today maybe we can get some practice in together, too?"

"I'd like that," Valta admitted with a faint smile. "Although I'm not nearly as good as you are. You have to promise to let me keep at least a little of my dignity."

"It's only because you're busy studying all day to inherit the family name," Flail said evenly. "If I'm not keeping track of you then I have nothing better to do with myself but sword practice…" Valta frowned softly at that.

"Hey, brother…"

"If your father hears you calling me that he'll be mad."

"Let him be mad."

"Valta…"

"I'm serious." Valta took two quick steps, effectively rounding on the shorter teen and locking gazes as he halted their progress through the manor. "Flail… you're the oldest; you should be the one to inherit the family name. Just because of that stupid technicality…"

"Being an illegitimate child isn't just a technicality," Flail said, smiling weakly even though they were falling into an old argument. "I'm just lucky Madam Sigmund lets me stay at all. It can't be easy on her to see the result of her husband's affair every day… Your mother is very kind, Valta."

"She is… but father was too cruel when he revoked your right to even use your real name," Valta said, his cinnamon gaze turning dark. "Your name shouldn't be Albert… It's supposed to be Sigmund."

"Albert is a fine name," Flail said with a chuckle at his brother's anger. He couldn't say he wasn't comforted by it. "It was my mother's maiden name, after all. One day it will be Sir Albert when I join the army and become a knight. Don't you worry, Valta, I'll make a name for myself. I don't need to inherit one." Valta sighed before shrugging off his frustrations.

"I just can't win against you, brother," he said with a shake of his spiky blonde locks. Flail laughed before leading the younger boy the rest of the way to his room so they could gather his study materials. The manor garden was spacious and left plenty of room for the heir to get lost in, but somehow Flail always found him. Valta imagined it was because Flail secretly hid from their father or other servants when he wasn't performing his duties as a big brother or guardian. He stifled a faint chuckle at the thought as they crossed into the threshold of the main house and worked their way down the cool marble hall towards the private library. Valta began to quietly muse over what books he would need to gather. Most of it revolved around history which basically meant memorizing war after war and how it had shaped their land. Valta was snapped out of his musings violently and yelped when he felt himself suddenly being pushed back behind a pillar. He considered objecting, but noticed Flail hiding himself as well and motioning for silence.

Steel toed boots echoed soundly off the marble floor. That wasn't uncommon, though, and Valta gave his sibling a queer look. They did have some guards and it wasn't like guards didn't wear armor. Why was his brother so determined for them to be hidden? Belatedly he noted another set of heavy foot falls but he knew just from the length of the stride who the perpetrator was.

Count Lucious Sigmund turned the corner, immediately flanked by the Captain of the Royal Guard, Gardios Rosencrants. He felt his brown eyes bulge on sight of such a high ranked member of the army waltzing through their home. The olive haired, coal eyed man normally wore a confident, winning smile on his face and was the idle of every boy in the Kingdom of Ispania, but today he looked solemn.

"… So, as you see, we have reason to fear that Ispania might soon be under attack as well despite our proclamation of neutrality," Gardios said, his rich voice reverberating through the acoustics no matter how soft spoken he was.

"I'm more surprised that it took them this long to target us," Count Sigmund said. "I suppose it's because of Dr. Southern-Cross' research. They don't want to risk him getting caught in the cross fire or lose track of him like when they attacked Kether."

"Yes, so it's safe to assume they will start their attack on the opposite end or find a method to secure the academy first," Gardios agreed with a nod. "We are gathering our soldiers to start patrols and station extra guards around the perimeter of the capital. I'm afraid that Her Highness will need to call upon the strength of the nobles to fend off our enemies."

"She has my sword, of course," Count Sigmund announced boldly, blue eyes narrowing at the thought of someone daring to attack their beloved kingdom. "I will gladly step into battle for the sake of Ispania."

"I am pleased to hear that," Gardios said, smiling for the first time but it was subdued. "Your son is how old now?"

"In three months he will be sixteen," Count Sigmund relented the information warily, "but my wife insists he not participate in battle."

"Unfortunately, I feel like there will soon be a time upon us where such a life will be a luxury to the most fortunate," Gardios said as his smile turned grim.

"I understand," Count Sigmund said. "I will have my son prepare for battle."

Flail's hand tightened around Valta's arm. The younger Sigmund winced but not from his sibling's pressure so much as the realization that war would soon be knocking on Ispania's door and he would be answering it. Valta barely noticed when his arm was roughly jerked in a new direction. He blinked at the rigid way his brother's shoulders were set but was too numb to do more than recognize how upset the servant was. He smiled faintly; Flail was taking someone else's problems personally again.

How could he? Flail seethed with rage, teeth grit to the point of nearly causing sparks. There were many things he accepted of their father, but throwing Valta out on the battle field against trained soldiers was madness. Valta had good instincts for the sword but he was still very green and had never been in actual combat even against monsters. To pit him against seasoned warriors was condemning him to death. Even though Flail had always encouraged his brother to learn the sword he had hoped it would never be needed.

"Brother," Valta eventually managed once he had choked down his own dread. "Hey, brother, it's ok… I mean, the enemy won't be here for a while, right? I'll get training and everything before then…"

Flail released Valta's hand and turned on the tall blonde with cold fire in his eyes.

"You don't get it!" Flail snapped. "No matter how much you have trained none of that could possibly prepare you for real combat. Forget your lessons for today!" Valta took an unintentional step back at his brother's rage but more so at the fact Flail was demanding he abandon his lessons. Flail never stepped out of duty and had never allowed his sibling to do so either.

"Ah… But, brother…" Valta stumbled for a response, eyes wide as if the servant had just grown a second head. "Are you sure?"

"We're going outside the city to fight with monsters," Flail said. "You're going to learn what it's like to spill blood." The blonde cringed.

"Do you have to put it like that?" he said more than asked, fingering the sword that was always at his hip. Even though it was mostly for decoration's sake, his sword was sharp and well maintained. There was no doubt it could split even a golem's skin. "Besides, fighting monsters is one thing but I'll be going against humans…"

"Baby steps," Flail said as he folded his arms. "If we're lucky maybe we'll run into some bandits and-"

"Brother!" Valta cut him off angrily, his cinnamon brown turning dark at the casual way Flail discussed killing. Flail clicked his tongue as he recognized his error.

"I'm sorry," he relented calmly, "but you don't understand how violent the world is. Ifrit's inferno! I don't know how violent the world really is outside of this kingdom. Ispania has managed to keep any conflict from reaching its soil but outside there is blood and death everywhere. The whole world is insane, Valta, and it won't forgive you for being soft."

"I know you're worried about me." Valta also softened his tone. "I understand that. I'm not ignorant of the outside world, either, but it's just difficult to think of killing so easily. Just let me take this one step at a time, ok?"

Flail couldn't help smiling grimly at his brother. "Only as long as you promise to keep taking those steps and have a decent pace," he said. "We can't be certain how long we have. Captain Rosencrants didn't seem very optimistic about the situation."

"Ah, if I am dragged into the military I hope it's under him." Valta's expression brightened magnificently. "Captain Rosencrants is said to be among the top most powerful warriors in the whole world. As long as he is leading Ispania's armies then we have nothing to fear."

"He is pretty impressive," Flail admitted, allowing his smile to relax at the change in subject. Valta's hero worship was contagious and the servant couldn't say he didn't admire the warrior at least a little bit. Only a little bit.

"Pretty impressive!" Valta exclaimed. "He's amazing! You base your sword style after his, right? I've seen you sneak past the training grounds just to watch him." Flail's cheeks darkened to a brilliant scarlet.

"What!" he squeaked in alarm that he'd been caught. "You… Have you been following me?"

"I'm pretty good at stealth if I do say so." Valta grinned.

"That's horrible! You're horrible! Don't spy on people," Flail sputtered indignantly. "Someone of your stature shouldn't be running around sneaking through bushes and who knows what else." He growled softly as his sibling didn't even bother to hide his laughter. With an indignant huff Flail turned away to continue leading them out of the grounds to the city.

He would just have to make Valta pay for it during training.

And thus ends chapter one. I'm basing most of the information off of a timeline I found translated from a Japanese site. Much of this will also be me filling in the cracks of what history left out. Feel free to correct me on anything that seems strikingly out of place or odd.