Fade Away
Summary: Slowly, we all begin to fade away, regardless of what we've done. Post-Game
This is an idea that came up while I was going through my favorites. Before I joined , I added the authors that I liked to ym favorites so I could find them quickly. Most of them have either not written at all in the past year or so, or no longer write in the ToS fandom. And this idea came up, of what would happen, thousands of years after the story ended. So enjoy! n_n
~000~
It had been a long time.
It had hit him suddenly when he woke up one morning, looking at the year on the calendar, the mana-consuming appliances, the faded pictures that were colourless beside the newer ones of his grandchildren. Yuan too, had somehow passed on.
He couldn't even remember the last time he'd been called 'Lloyd Irving'. A hundred years he guessed- that was the last time he had a visit with Ratatosk- but even he, had long forgotten the name 'Irving' that had been once replaced with 'Aurion'… then another name, and another, to cover the tracks of his long existence.
He didn't even remember his age anymore.
Lloyd glanced at his bookshelf, filled up with books of information, but pictures, journals and such. Except one book.
Tales of Symphonia
The book was the telling of how he and his friends saved the world, written by them once they'd seen the untruthful versions of the public. It was most likely, the last copy in existence, as Lloyd was sure he was the only one who would've bothered to have it reprinted several times, but kept it in the original language. Lloyd thought back on his friends, chuckling.
Colette would've been happy that the world was at peace, with no signs of it changing anytime soon; Genis would be jealous that Lloyd could now outdo a lot of his spells- and that Lloyd no longer needed to copy his friends homework; Raine would've had a heart attack at the sight of the mark Lloyd had gotten when he took the entrance exam for the world-famous school in Palmacosta- a hundred percent, with bonus marks- just for fun. Sheena would be proud at how big and renowned Mizuho had become, and hadn't shown any signs of losing ground. Zelos would joke how Lloyd finally flirted with a girl- or more than one. Regal… Lloyd might've been able to fight on par with him when it came to that fighting style. Presea would've been overjoyed by how Ozette had been rebuilt and repopulated.
Kratos… Lloyd didn't know what'd he'd think. Lloyd wished that they could've spent more time together, learned more about Anna, about Kratos himself… Lloyd sighed, sitting up in bed for a few minutes before rolling out of bed.
It was a reoccurring series of questions lately. Was Kratos alive? Did he miss him? What was it like staying on Derris Kharlan that long? Had Kratos finally cracked on gone crazy up there? Or was he his usual, stoic, self? These questions went unanswered- even after Lloyd asked Origin, who didn't know.
After pulling on some clothes, he headed to the antiques shop- since he had a great-something-granddaughter who loved that type of thing, just like her mother (who Lloyd swore, was a descendant of Raine's.)
As he entered the shop, he was surprised to find that the shelves were made of real wood. Lloyd smiled, thinking back at a time where he'd helped Dirk make a wooden set of shelves for his room.
"Good day sir!" The shop-keeper exclaimed happily, "Are you browsing or looking to buy?"
"I'm going to buy. I need a birthday present for a relative of mine." Lloyd replied, "I'm amazed, the shelves are made of real wood."
"I can't believe someone actually noticed! I'm Zach Wilder, you?" He smiled. With the well-kept curly red hair and name, Lloyd wouldn't have been surprised if the man was related to his old friend somehow.
Lloyd thought for a second. It couldn't hurt…"Lloyd Irving. I used to work with wood a lot when I was young." He grabbed something off the shelf, knowing it was not something his granddaughter had seen before.
"It seems you have a good eye for antiques as well," Zach commented, readying the cash register.
"I am older than I look," Lloyd said simply.
Zach laughed. "Well, I just got a interesting item recently. I found it in my attic, and got it reprinted…" He reached under the counter as Lloyd walked up, pulling out a newly made book. "Tales of Symphonia. It's quite a beautiful story. I had a copy made for myself. It says that it's a true story… though it would be impossible to honestly know. You actually have the same name as the leader of the group. Interesting hmm?"
Lloyd paid for the gift, placing it into a bag. "Yes… " He turned to leave, before turning back to smile at Zach. "I'm just glad that we, our journey- our story hasn't completely faded away yet, Mr. Wilder. Perhaps we can avoid fading away, a little while longer."
Zach could only stare as Lloyd left, without another word. He never saw Lloyd again. Though he would always remember that day, Lloyd Irving, and the old book. He told his children the story as well, who told their children, and theirs… but all things, must fade away eventually.
But that doesn't mean they must always be forgotten.