CHAPTER 1: And Thus the Story Is Warped…
Hello, People of FanFiction! Welcome to an extremely screwed up version of Tales of Symphonia (because I don't already have enough on here…n.n')! Please, read on to discover that changing a few facts that are vital to the story line can really screw things up for the future! Isn't that just lovely? Now, I invite you to sit down, yell at your maid/family member/dog to get you a nice, steaming cup of hot chocolate, put on your favorite pair of slippers, and prepare yourself to read about nine people whose lives were completely twisted around by a demented teenager! So, relax! Read! Enjoy! Rejoice! Review! Because I bring you…
One Completely Messed-Up Fic!
Disclaimer: This author does not own anything, including a functional brain.
Fourteen years prior to the events of Symphonia…
"Anna! Come on! We've got to hurry!" a purple-clad man shouted through the pouring rain. A few feet behind him, a young woman struggled to keep up, her long dress and shoes that were not made for running keeping her from moving quickly. A large dog-like creature made up the back of the living train, urging them on. The man carried in his arms a small boy of about five, who was sniffling a little, but not crying. He had learned very early in life to never cry out loud.
Suddenly, an arrow whipped through the wind and came spiraling straight toward Anna, who dodged it the best she could, but still got nicked on the side. She let out a pained cry, and the Protozoan gave a quick burst, running up beside her. She gratefully climbed onto his back, and the four of them proceeded into the darkness.
"Kratos, can we stop for a moment? I need some healing, quick." The rain had finally stopped, and the angel reluctantly agreed.
"But only for a moment," he added before casting First Aid on her wound. He surveyed his surroundings, making sure they had lost the Desians that were pursuing them. The family was right next to a large cliff that—surprisingly—had a door carved into it. The intricate designs on it indicated that it was a dwarf that lived there. "Anna," he called softly, "A dwarf lives here. Do you think he'll let us stay for a moment?"
"I don't know, but let's ask anyway. Lloyd's getting hungry." Anna confidently strode up to the door and gave it a knock. It opened, revealing a short, muscular man with reddish-brown facial hair.
"Hello?" the dwarf asked, obviously confused as to why three soaking wet people and their oversized dog were standing on his property.
"Hello. I'm Anna, and this is my husband, Kratos, and our son, Lloyd. That's our, um, dog, Noishe. We're kind of in a pickle, and we were wondering if, maybe, you'd let us come in for a moment?"
"We know it's a lot to ask," Kratos said, "but if you would, we would be so grateful."
The dwarf thought this over for a minute before agreeing. He moved away from the door and the Aurions and Noishe all squished together into his house.
"Thank you so much," Kratos said once he had found a place to sit. "How can we ever repay you?"
"Nah, don't mention it. Dwarven Vow number two: never abandon someone in need. I'm just going along with the teachings." Dirk shrugged.
"Well, you're very kind anyway." Anna smiled at him. Then the Exsphere on her hand glinted in the soft lantern light, and Dirk frowned.
"You've got an Exsphere on you," he stated. Anna subconsciously rubbed it, and she nodded. "But it doesn't have a Key Crest. That's dangerous, you know."
Anna sighed sadly and Kratos explained, "We know, but Key Crests are dwarven technology, and we don't know any dwarves. Well, except you, now."
"Well, I'd be happy to make you one, but I've got to make it into an accessory. It'll take a few hours, at best. You'll just have to stay here for the night." Dirk got up from where he was seated and walked over to a nearby stove. He rummaged through a wooden box and pulled out an ore—inhibitor ore, Kratos assumed.
"Really? You'd let us stay for a night?" Anna asked eagerly. Kratos smiled, too; they hadn't stayed in any places that were actually suitable for living for a while. Hiding from Cruxis proved to be a very difficult task.
Damn Kvar…damn the Angelus Project…damn Desians…damn everything that was causing Anna to suffer!
Dirk was speaking. "Of course; Dwarven Vow number two, remember?" Lloyd laughed from his place in Kratos' arms, and said angel looked down with a warm smile. It was times like this that made him forget everything that was happening around them. It made him forget that he, Anna, and Lloyd were the most wanted people in both worlds; that Kvar was after "his" Angelus Project; that Anna was barely strong enough to run all over Sylvarant; that Lloyd was barely five and was in no condition to be running around, hiding from the "big, scary bad guys", in Anna's words.
"Well, thank you so much, Dirk," Kratos said. "Where can we sleep? It's pretty late, and we've been running around all night in the rain."
"I have a spare room in the back of the house," Dirk said, "Feel free to use it. It's got two beds in it."
Kratos nodded. "Um, but what do we do with Noishe?"
"Well, I don't have a pen for him, but if he can behave, he can stay by the fire tonight."
"Yes; he's been trained very well. Thanks so much for your hospitality," Anna said with a cheerful smile, one that Kratos hadn't seen for the last two weeks. She walked over to Kratos and gathered Lloyd in her arms, and then walked toward the back room that Dirk had indicated. "Good night, everyone!" And she disappeared into the room.
"I think I shall be retiring, too." Kratos started to get up, but Dirk held up a hand and told him to wait.
"Why were you running around so late at night, and in the rain?" Dirk asked suspiciously.
"Well, we were, um—" Should he tell him? Could he trust Dirk? He decided that he couldn't trust anyone completely, and that he should avoid telling the complete truth. "We were being pursued, and we had to get away." It was the truth, just not all of it.
"Ah. By a monster?" he asked.
"You could say that…" Kvar was definitely a monster, just not the kind that Dirk was talking about.
"Okay. Well, I won't keep you any longer. Good night." Dirk turned back to the stove, and Kratos frowned.
"Aren't you going to bed?"
"Nah, I've got to finish this Crest for your wife." Dirk was still facing the stove.
"Oh. You don't have to do that." He didn't want to be a burden on him.
"No, the quicker it's done, the better. Now, get some sleep." Dirk said no more, so Kratos shrugged and headed into the back room. Of course, he didn't need to sleep, but he was mentally exhausted, so lying down for a while couldn't hurt.
Anna was already fast asleep with Lloyd curled up in her arms. He lay down in the bed next to her and cleared his thoughts before drifting off.
The next morning, Dirk presented a wooden bracelet to Anna. It had several charms carved into it, and it was beautiful. The Key Crest. Anna was saved. The two parents hugged each other, huge smiles embedded on their faces. Though Lloyd didn't completely understand what was going on, he was laughing gleefully as his mom and dad latched onto each other, Anna's eyes glistening with tears that had yet to fall.
"Thank you so much," Kratos said to the dwarf. "You've helped us so much. How can we ever repay you?"
"There's no thanks necessary. I was glad to help." Dirk smiled a hairy smile.
"Still…is there anything we can do for you?" Anna asked.
"You could tell me why you have that Exsphere on you in the first place." Dirk raised an eyebrow expectantly as Anna's smile faltered. She looked to Kratos, hoping he would help her out.
"She escaped from a ranch," Kratos said coolly, ignoring his wife's gaping mouth and bugging out eyes.
"Is that who is chasing you? Desians?" the dwarf asked.
"…Yes," Kratos admitted. Anna's stare got even more shocked.
"K-Kratos!" Anna scoffed.
Kratos looked at her. "He's already figured it out, Anna. We can't lie to him."
"Well, I appreciate you telling me the truth. And if you are being chased, I suppose you shouldn't stay here too long."
"Oh! You're right! Come on, Kratos, grab Lloyd. We've got to go!" Anna flew back into the bedroom where she grabbed Kratos' extra outfit. Kratos, meanwhile, picked up Lloyd, who was sitting comfortably, using Noishe as a pillow.
"Come on, Lloyd. We've got to get moving."
Lloyd stretched and frowned. "Do we gotta? Dwarf-man's nice!"
"Yes. We can't intrude any longer. Besides, we still have to go to our new home." Kratos gave a knowing smile to the boy. Soon, it would all be over, and then they family would be safe. He'd get a job, and Lloyd would grow up safe from harm. He wouldn't allow any other scenario. For over five years they had been running from Cruxis. It had gone on for too long.
Lloyd, who had already made himself comfortable in the elder man's arms, grumbled quietly at once again having to go somewhere new. But he was used to it by now, so he said no more and instead attempted to fall asleep.
Anna ran back into the main room and grabbed Kratos' hand. "Bye! Thanks again!" she yelled as she pulled him out of Dirk's house.
The sun was shining and the grass was greener after the hard rain from the night before. The four of them began walking down the path that led away from Dirk's house. They had recently started to head toward the Renegade's base, as Kratos had heard of a Dimensional Transfer System inside the base. If they could make their way to Tethe'alla, they would be free of the Desians—or, at least, that was the plan. Their goal was to make it to the Triet Desert by nightfall. What they weren't aware of, however, was a creepy Desian Grand Cardinal that was watching them.
A few hours later, the desert was in Kratos' line of vision. "It's a few miles ahead, Anna."
Anna nodded, trusting Kratos' observation even though she couldn't see it herself. So they continued straight on down the dirt path.
A shout penetrated Kratos' ears, and he looked around, trying to find the source of the noise. Another cry sounded, and Kratos could make out what it was the person was saying.
"Get them!"
Kratos' eyes widened. He knew that voice. "Anna…it's…"
He didn't need to say any more. She knew by the look on his face that it could only be one person.
Kvar.
"Anna, run! Take Lloyd and Noishe! I'll hold them off." Kratos drew his sword and held it at the ready as Anna nodded. She couldn't help him, she knew that. So she took Lloyd and ran, Noishe following closely behind.
The Desians and their leader were getting closer, and Kratos' eyes narrowed. He was ready; he had been ready ever since he found Anna sitting in that cold, lonely cell in Kvar's ranch. As he thought of that, red runes appeared under his feet. A few seconds later he shouted "Fireball!" and sent the spell hurling toward the mass. A few caught on fire and had to stop. Kratos hastily cast another Fireball. Five more went down, and Kratos decided to try another spell.
It wasn't one he usually practiced, so he hoped it would work. Red Runes danced even brighter under him as he charged a stronger fire spell. When it was ready, he shouted "Eruption!" Several men got caught in it, and about twenty men were burned to a crisp. After another quick Fireball, only about a fourth of the men were left standing, including Kvar. But he was running low on mana. He reached into the pack that was slung on his back and pulled out an Orange Gel. After swallowing it, he cast Stone Blast. A few men trapped in it got thrown to the ground. A few were knocked unconscious when they hit their heads against the hard ground.
"Grave!" More Desians were skewered.
"Fireball!" Fire filled the sky.
"Wind Blade!" A few were lifted into the air before crashing down.
"Lightning!" That wasn't cast by Kratos. It was from Kvar, and it was headed straight for him.
"Ugh!" Kratos gasped as he got electrocuted by the purple lightning. He fell to his knees. The only ones who were still standing by then were Kratos and Kvar, the latter having a malicious, bloodthirsty smile on his face. It was a one-on-one brawl between the two of them, though it was merely magic, as they were too far apart to use physical attacks. They went back and forth, Kratos casting Fireball and Kvar casting Lightning. Kvar was gradually advancing but still casting, and Kratos was having a hard time standing up with all the electricity coursing through his body. Kvar was easily dodging Kratos' spells, which was making him angry. In fact, everything about Kvar made him angry.
When the Desian leader was only a few yards away, Kratos readied his sword. With a swipe of his blade, he shouted, "Demon Fang!" and let loose the strongest Demon Fang he had ever unleashed, and it rushed toward Kvar with all his fury toward him bottled up in it. It moved too fast for him to dodge, and Kvar gasped in pain as it hit him, and he knelt to the ground. Kratos smirked from where he stood, then ran forward to impale the man that had threatened to kill Anna.
"Die, you bastard!" Kratos shouted as he lunged forward with his sword. Kvar looked up. The last thing he saw was Kratos' evil glare. Then the blade pierced his skin and stopped his heart.
"So…Kvar is dead," the leader of Cruxis said. He had been in Welgaia, out for a stroll, when one of the Asgard Desian Commanders made their way to him and reported the news of his leader's death.
"Yes, sir. A mysterious assassin killed him and seventy of our men."
"I see. He always was a cocky one. It got in his way." The angel sighed. "I suppose we'll have to find a replacement. Is there anyone among your ranks that can fill the position?"
"Everyone in our ranks is suitable for the position. However…"
"Hm?"
"However, a young half-elf we found a few days ago has shown quite the potential. She has shown to be very authoritative and commanding, as well as ruthless. She would make an excellent choice, sir."
"A young half-elf…bring her to me," Yggdrasill commanded, and the Desian bowed before scurrying off back to Sylvarant.
Raine Sage had been young when she was abandoned. She, as well as her little brother Genis, had made her way to the Iselia region when she was stopped by a couple of passing Desians. They had taken her and Genis to their ranch and given her a choice: to become a Desian and be a proud superior of vermin humans, or to be just another half-elf and be despised by humans, never to fit in. The offer was tempting…she couldn't refuse.
Now, Raine was being led to see the leader of Cruxis, Yggdrasill. She wasn't quite sure what was going on, except that Lord Kvar had been killed and they were looking for a replacement. But what did they want with her?
"Lord Yggdrasill, I've brought the girl." The Desian who had brought her bowed to an angel clad in white. Assuming that this was Cruxis' leader, she bowed her head in respect.
"Good. Bring her here." Raine moved forward with wide eyes. The man—Lord Yggdrasill—looked her over, and Raine became very self-conscious. Was her uniform too tight? Was something out of place? But she didn't have time to worry about it because Lord Yggdrasill was speaking again. "This man—" He gestured to the Desian— "told me that you were commanding and took charge easily, is that so?"
"I guess, a little. I take charge easily; is that bad?" she said with a slight huff. Mithos chuckled.
"Interesting. You, what's your name?" Yggdrasill pointed to the Desian, who bowed respectively again.
"I am Fercyz, my lord," he said, still bowing deeply.
"Did you find this girl?" Yggdrasill asked. Fercyz nodded.
"I did. She was walking through the woods with a baby, and we took her in."
"And what of the baby?"
"We took him, as well. We thought he could be of great value to us." Fercyz straightened up as he said this, but still keeping his head lowered. "He and the girl are staying with one of our men at the Iselia Ranch until they are older."
"Well," the angel said, "you did very well with finding her. I must inspect her qualities a bit more before I can decide, but she is very promising. You may go." Lord Yggdrasill gave a wave of his hand, and the Desian bowed again before running off to the portal to Sylvarant.
Raine looked to her leader. "What was that all about?" she asked. She still didn't understand the situation, and she was getting tired of being kept in the dark.
Yggdrasill chuckled to himself. "My, my…very blunt, aren't you?"
"Well, I suppose so. I never was shy." Raine folded her arms across her chest and tapped her foot. "So, are you going to tell me? Or am I going to have to find out myself…" she gave a pointed look at her lord, "the hard way?"
"I think we've found the perfect replacement," Yggdrasill said before leading the girl into a nearby room to talk.
The first chapter. Wow. I really hope this turns out all right. It'd be nice. Please review and tell me what you think! Regarding Raine's age, I decided that she was eleven when she came to Sylvarant. It took me forever to figure out how old Lloyd would have to be in order to be in the Desians right after Kratos killed Kvar (…alliteration! Yay!) Anyway, I really, really hope I did this all right. I've been trying to make it sound the least retarded that I could make it. Which was hard. But, I guess this is the final copy. I hope you enjoyed, sorry if it was horrible, I'll try to do better next chapter. Thanks! Bye!