Konnichiwa minna-san. It was a hard decision but I've finally decided to write my first fic for ToS. The topic: Genis' thoughts after the final battle. Gets kinda angsty at points. Maybe some Gesea if I can squeeze it in. Wish me luck everyone. This will probably be a one-shot. SPOILERS for those who haven't beat the game yet. Ah, I could go on and on. But, as Kratos would say...
-Kratos: Enough idle chitchat.
Kratos! So you're my muse of the day. Ok then. Not to go too far on a tangent, but I need one more. Zelos!
-Zelos: Yo! Hey bud. Whaddya need?
Good. My muses are here. Now to write. But first:
LAME LEGAL FORMALITIES (ie THE DISCLAIMER:)
¿OM"I would love to say I own ToS, Namco, and the hilarious CapitalOne commercial, but..."
(Black suited Viking lawyers -complete with helmets- come roaring up the stairs, brandishing torches, cutlasses, spears, and a single club)
¿OM"AAAAAAAAHHH! I DON'T OWN IT I DON'T OWN IT I DON'T OWN IT" (hides under desk)
(Collective groan as all but one Viking turn and trudge down stairs)
-Viking: (to audience) "HEY! What's in YOUR disclaimer"
-Zelos: (after Viking leaves) "...man, you're pathetic sometimes."
¿OM: (twitch) (blacklight bulb) (runs to door) "HEY! Zelos thinks he owns it" (dives to side as Vikings come charging back in, then out again bearing a Zelos covered in pencils and lawsuits.)
-Zelos"AAAAAAAAaaaa..." (carried off into distance)
Now then; with the formalities done with, on with the fic!
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GENIS:
...it's over. Mithos is dead. My first and only half-elf friend... is dead.
Lloyd and the others would probably ask how, even knowing all Mithos did, all the suffering he caused, all the pain, and death, and destruction... how could I still be his friend? After seeing the destruction of Luin, at the hands of the Desians he himself cultivated? Witnessing firsthand the carnage at Iselia? The Desians' mutilation of Marble, just to get at Lloyd and me? The bombing of Ozette, which he probably led himself? Even his latest attempt, to pull Derris-Kharlan and the Great Seed away from the worlds, killing countless innocents for the 'sake' of his sister? How can I still sympathize with him?
Yet, hard as I try, I can't really blame him. Even before the battle, as the argument went back and forth, I just couldn't seem to get as angry with him as the others. Maybe it's cause I know what he went through. Raised by his older sister, always on the run, never knowing if the next outstretched hand was the one that held the dagger. Only a few close friends you could count on, and even then never knowing what would happen if they found out the truth. The constant rejection by the very peoples that spawned you. Finally having his sister brutally murdered in front of you... if I ever lost Raine like that... yeah. That would have thrown me over the edge. Having the only one you can trust, the only one left you can love, ripped away to lay cold and dead at your feet, her last few seconds being ones of fear and agony... gods. No wonder he went insane. The pain would have killed a lesser man.
I still remember the battle vividly. How Lloyd, the others and I all argued with him in between blows. How he insisted that all he did was for his sister. His "dream of a world for his sister and him." Even concentrating on my spells became hard, as his words began to gnaw at my brain. It was now that I realized his grief for his sister had driven him clear over the edge. He was insane with his drive to please his sister. He was ready to kill off two worlds full of innocents to make the perfect place for himself and her. He had forsaken his senses now. I could understand his trying to bring her back – he couldn't have been ready for her to leave him, he was probably only my age when she died – but annihilating both worlds, just to fulfill a twisted version of her last breath? No. He was insane. We had to stop him. I returned to my spellcasting with a renewed vigor, that gnawing feeling still there but lessened.
As Lloyd struck the final blow on his transformed body, as the blood flew everywhere and his form disintegrated, I saw a great weight lift from my friends' shoulders; I, on the other hand, felt the gnawing feeling return with a vengeance. It was then that I noticed the Cruxis Crystal still floating, still throbbing with that grotesque parody of life. I was hardly surprised when his form appeared, much like Alicia at her gravestone. His words deepened the gnawing in the depths of my heart:
"...destroy the Crystal! Now! Before I...too...am no longer myself..."
That was enough. I didn't want to see this man, broken by time, sadness, and finally our blades, have to beg for his own death. I pleaded with Lloyd to let him die with his soul still intact, before he was bound to the depths of the Crystal for eternity. He agreed, but the specter of Mithos would not depart just yet.
"...goodbye my shadow. You, who stand at the end of the path I chose not to follow. I do not regret my choice; given the option, I would do it all over again. I am still choosing this path."
His final statement finally lifted the gnawing ache. After a lifetime of suffering, he was finally ready to end it all. He went to his rest with no regrets, knowing he gave his all for his sister. I still wasn't ready for his death though; as the crystal shattered, my mind went into a haze. I staggered back a bit, only dimly noticing Presea step closer to me, to support me if I fell. No one else noticed my stumble, or my sudden trance; all eyes were trained on Lloyd. Eternal Sword in hand, he set about completing our goal, and undoing the havoc Mithos had wrought. With Colette at his side he summoned the powers of Origin, and revived the Great Seed, restoring the world to its original form. As we landed near the tree, I slowly shook off the haze that surrounded me, and came to terms with the truth:
"...it's over. Mithos is dead. My first and only half-elf friend... is dead."
Presea seemed troubled by my mumbling. Only just noticing her presence myself, I stepped back, my face burning crimson. 'Damn these preteen hormones!' I thought to myself. The two of us turned back to the tree, as Lloyd made his decision.
"This tree's name is... Martel."
Martel... from the Goddess of Hope to the Tree of Life... yes. This was a suitable memorial for my friend, and I said so to Presea. "I'm glad. I think Mithos would have approved, after all he went through for her. And besides, it will make the transition easier for the Church of Martel." Mana herself seemed somewhat taken aback at Lloyd's decision, but quickly regained her composure. "Yes, I see. It will certainly make it easier for the people; after loving their Goddess Martel for so long for 'keeping them alive', it won't be too difficult to transfer their love to a Martel that really does keep them alive. A part of me, however, is somewhat embarrassed at your choice..." A slight giggle, followed by Lloyd scratching his head in trademark fashion. "Well, it kinda made sense at the time." "I see... then we shall trust in your choice. Farewell, Lloyd..." With that, Mana was gone, back to protecting the tree in astral form.
"...I know how I'm going to honor Mithos." I blurted out suddenly, much to Presea's surprise. "Raine and I will go on a journey, to fulfill Martel's last wish... to have a world where no half-elf is discriminated against."
"...you should not go alone." Presea surprised me with this response. "Odds of a spellcaster and healer surviving an ambush by monsters: 27 percent." Oddly enough, a smile graced her lips as Presea continued. "However, odds of an axewielder, a spellcaster and a healer surviving the same encounter are increased to 93 percent. Therefore, I shall accompany you... for protection. I would not like to see you get hurt, Genis."
This last sentence was almost enough to make me fall over. Presea, showing emotion? ...towards me"I...I...uh...t-thanks,
Presea" I managed to blurt out. Presea's smile grew as she continued. "One final thing Genis. Odds of an axewielder and healer alone surviving the aforementioned ambush decrease to 68 percent; therefore, I will need your ...protection... as well."
...This was too much. Presea, saying she needed me! Needed! ME"O-ok" I managed to stammer before fainting clean away. My last thoughts? This... is the beginning... of a wonderful adventure.
I hope you enjoyed this. Like? Hate? Burn it? Frame it? REVIEW! Constructive flames welcome. (Don't just say what you hate, tell me how to fix it I mean.)
—¿ObviousMan?