Tales of Symphonia: The Aftermath of Yggdrasil Prologue
Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Tales of Symphonia nor the characters or places in it. They are the property of their respective compaines, Namco Inc. and the like.
It has been nearly a year since Mithos Yggdrasil was defeated and his plans brought to a halt. It was thought that after Lloyd and the others defeated him and revived the Giant Tree (known as Yggdrasil), that it was the end of it. However, something else lurked in the darkness, waiting for Mithos' downfall to occur. Now with Mithos gone, this new threat has seen it fit to begin his reign of terror. Only Lloyd and the others stand in his way, but they will not be able to do it alone. For this, they will need the help of a new friend, who seems to have all too familiar powers.
The boy sat on the edge of the balcony overlooking the forest. His short brown hair had grown a little longer in the past ten months, but not much else had changed. Well, at least if you don't count the fact that he and Colette were now living in the same home.
"Lloyd, come on down! Lunch is almost ready!" she called up to him. Colette Brunell looked the same as she did nearly a year ago, except that her hair was always worn in a ponytail these days. She walked back over to the stove and turned the small pieces of beef over in the frying pan. She sighed and pushed back strands of her golden blonde hair.
"I've said it before, but I'll say it again Colette. You're in love." a man's voice said, drifting in from outside. His once blonde hair was now showing strands of gray, and Frank Brunell thought nothing of it. He walked in the house, hanging up his jacket and hat on the wooden stand by the door. "Something smells good. You cooking for Lloyd again?" he asked.
Colette's face became visibly red, and she was unsuccessful in hiding it. "Well um, I…you see…" she stuttered.
Frank laughed at his daughter's embarrassment, and sat down at the table. "I would say that about tells me enough. You DO love him, don't you?" he asked. He was being very serious, and if Frank Brunell was serious, you'd better not crack any unwanted jokes.
Colette went even redder, but nodded. She turned back to finishing up the lunch as she talked. "Of course I do father. But I just can't help but wonder if he feels the same way. And I'm too shy to ask him." she said, putting the meat onto small plates and carrying them to the table.
"I'd say he feels the exact same way about you Colette." a voice said, and she felt lips on her cheek, then saw Lloyd moving to take the chair next to Colette's. His face was just as red as hers, but he wasn't going to say that. He grinned at her as he looked at her, blushing red in her cute apron. "Come sit next to me Colette." he said, smiling.
"Oh Lloyd, I'm so happy!" she said happily, taking off her apron and sitting next to Lloyd. All of her emotions were swimming inside of her at once. She stopped over and kissed his cheek, then began to eat her lunch.
Frank made a sound that was easily recognized as someone who found food delicious. "This is very good Colette. You've gotten better at cooking since you and Lloyd came back. Though I have to admit, I was a little unsure of you and Lloyd living here together." he said, smiling wryly at the pair.
Lloyd chuckled as he grasped Colette's hand in his. "Yeah, I remember when I asked you about that. You looked like someone had ripped the roof off of your house." he said, laughing still at the memory. Lloyd could remember that Frank accepted that, but wouldn't talk to Lloyd for days afterwards, and then only at Colette's insistence.
Frank smiled, and took a bite of the steak. "Yes, that's true. But if it wasn't for Colette pleading with me, I probably still wouldn't be." he said, grinning back.
"Oh Father, stop it." Colette teased, smiling at the two. She was as happy as could be right now.
All of a sudden there was a knock at the door, and Lloyd stood up. He walked over and opened the door. "Genis, Professor! This is a pleasant surprise!" he said happily.
Lloyd moved the door back some, and Genis and Raine Sage stepped inside. Genis had grown a couple inches the past year, but pretty much maintained the same look. Raine was pretty much the same, right down to her 'Ruin Mode'.
Raine walked over and hugged Colette, who had stood up to greet their guests. "It's good to see you Colette. How are you doing?" Raine asked.
Genis and Lloyd were busy arguing about something, and it became clear as to what when they heard Lloyd. "Yes I told her you dummy! And I know it's taken me awhile to do it. Give me a break Genis!" Lloyd said.
"Well it's about time! Like you said, it HAS taken you long enough to tell Colette how you feel." he said, looking at the others in the room.
Frank did not want to intrude, so he stood up. "I've got some gardening to finish, so I'll be going. Good day to you Genis, Raine." he said. He put his jacket and hat back on, and went outside to the small garden he kept.
Genis and Raine took the empty seats left at the table. Genis was still grinning broadly.
"So, how long have you and Colette lived together?" Raine asked of Lloyd.
Lloyd's face went bright red, but he composed himself quickly. "Almost a year actually, Professor. It wasn't long after we came back that I asked Frank if it was acceptable. You can imagine the look on his face." Lloyd said, fighting back a grin.
"I can imagine. You were probably cowering in a corner Lloyd!" Genis said, laughing.
"Shut it Genis! Lloyd's brave and really nice too. He's done a lot to help out around here." Colette said in Lloyd's defense.
"I didn't expect to hear that from you Colette. I guess it proves people can change." a voice said. Everyone looked to the doorway and saw a man in a rather ruffled looking suit. His blue hair was still tied back near the bottom as usual. He wasn't wearing the handcuffs anymore, and he looked quite healthy too. Regal Bryant wasn't alone however, as a young girl stepped in the doorway after him. Presea Combatir looked a little older, and her bright pink hair was flowing down her back. She had apparently abandoned the use of a ponytail. She wore a light blue shirt and dark blue jeans as her ensemble.
"Regal, Presea! It's good to see you again." Genis said, jumping up from his seat and hugging Presea, then shaking Regal's hand. Presea appeared a bit flustered, but was able to hide that. "It is good to see all of you again too. I trust you are well?" she said, and her voice was much livelier than it had been when they all first met.
"Regal, how's it going buddy?" Lloyd said, shaking his hand and offering him a chair.
After everyone was seated, they began to talk about the old days, of their journey together. It seemed Raine and Genis were making impressive progress towards the acceptance of half-elves. It would seem that nearly the entire region around Iselia had accepted the fact that half-elves were a part of society. They had come back to take a break before heading on to Palmacosta. Regal's company was still going strong, and had already helped rebuild and improve on Palmacosta after its destruction. Presea had stayed with Regal and helped him with his projects. She still found time to visit Alicia's grave now and then.
"Where are Zelos and Sheena? I thought they'd be here by now." Regal asked.
Colette shook her head. "I don't know where they could've gotten too. I know Sheena's been busy helping the people of Mizuho adapt, but we haven't heard anything about Zelos." she said.
Lloyd chuckled and shook his head. "He's probably off hitting on every girl he can find now." he said, laughing.
Everyone looked at him for a moment, and then laughed along with him. "Now that isn't very nice Lloyd. Is that how you think of me after all we've been through together buddy?" a voice said in mock hurt. Everyone turned to look in the doorway, and there stood Zelos. His once long red hair appeared to have been cut short a little. He wasn't wearing the same ensemble, but the color was the same. After more handshakes and hugs were exchanged, he took a seat at the table.
"So, things have been going well I hear. Nice work with Palmacosta Regal." he said, inclining his head to the man.
"Thank you. It's been a little tough, but we've been making real progress." Regal replied. He turned to Genis and Raine. "So, how hard was it to help everyone change their minds about half-elves?" he asked the siblings.
Raine shook her head. "It hasn't been easy, let me tell you. Some people didn't even want us to speak, even after their leaders had agreed to let us." she said solemnly.
"But after we talked for a good while, they came around. It's not hard to see our point when you look at how much half-elves have done since Mithos' defeat to make up for their past misdeeds." Genis piped up.
"So what about you and Colette? I hear you two have been getting really cozy here Lloyd." Zelos said, grinning broadly.
Lloyd went red, but stood his ground. "Shut it Zelos!" he said, then burst out laughing.
"Lloyd and I have been just fine. In fact, we've admitted to each other today that we're in love." Colette said cheerfully.
"Well, you've got some backbone after all. I'm real proud of you Lloyd. You learned a lot from me and my—hey, ow!" he said, as Lloyd launched a pillow at him before he could finish.
"You've got as much luck with girls as you do with words Zelos." Presea said laughing.
Zelos shook his head. "Has anyone heard from Sheena? I thought she'd be here for the picnic too." he said.
Lloyd shook his head. "We haven't seen her since we sent the letter out. This isn't like her." he said.
All of a sudden the front door burst open, and Sheena Fujibayashi came in holding a piece of paper in her hand. "Sorry I'm late guys, but we've got bad news!" she said, looking as if she was out of breath. "Palmacosta's been destroyed by an unknown force!" she said.
"What?" Lloyd said, shocked.
"It can't be…" Regal said.
"How terrible…" Presea exclaimed.
"Oh my…" Colette said.
"How awful!" Raine said.
"This can't be." Genis said, his eyes wide with shock.
"Oh my god…" Zelos said, eyes wide.
"That isn't the half of it. Someone said the assailants looked like Cruxis angels!" Sheena said.
With those words, everyone was shocked to the core. How could Cruxis still exist?
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