What ho, a new story? Like that's anything unusual for this site. A new story with Preloyd themes? Is a miracle! The northern hawk has returned, deleting a story he forgot to update and no longer remembers how it was supposed to go, only to replace it with a new story which he likes better anyway. Don't think many know about that other one, anyways. So now I bring you a Preloyd adventure, with what I think is a slightly, if not very, cliche opening, but hey.

Oh, and I solemnly swear that I in no way own Tales of Symphonia, its characters, or any of that other fun stuff, and am merely using them in a creative work that does belong to me. Do not take credit for my mental workings, as you most definitely do not want to be associated with them.


It was dark.

Then again, was it? All around her, there was nothing but inky blackness, yet when she looked down at herself, her body was clearly visible; every stitch of her small, dark dress, her dull white gloves and boots, the strands of pink hair that fell from her brow, all as clear as if she were under a spotlight. Then, why could she not see anything – no sky or ceiling, no walls or horizon, not even the very ground she stood on?

Suddenly, in the distance, there was a flash of movement. She strained her eyes as hard as she could, hoping to get a glance of whatever else was with her. Cautiously, she called out a simple, "Hello?"

Nothing happened. There was no more movement, and no reply. After a minute of staring at empty space, she gave a dejected sigh and relaxed her eyes.

Suddenly, a breeze blew past, sending her pigtails swaying, ruffling her clothes. However, this breeze... she couldn't feel it. She knew it was there, but it did not cool her, and she could not tell where it blew from. On this breeze was carried a sound – a voice – impossible to clearly hear – familiar, yet very strange at the same time.

She tried as hard as she could to make out the voice, but simply couldn't. The breeze became a gentle wind, and the voice grew louder, yet still she could not hear it. The wind became a gale, and the voice became a shout, and finally she could hear the voice.

Her eyes widened, her limbs locked in fear. The words carried an immense amount of dread, dread she knew, but could not place. All she knew of the fear was that it was real, and greater than any fear she had experienced. The winds swirled around her, faster, and faster, until...

Presea jerked upright. Rapidly, she took in her surroundings. She was sitting on the ground, a small, woolen blanket loosely draped over her lap. She was in a small forest clearing, with two or three birds chirping softly in the cool morning light. There, across from her, snoring softly, was a young man whose blanket had slipped off of him sometime in the night.

The sight of him instantly brought relief to Presea. Lloyd Irving. She and the young swordsman had been traveling more or less alone for a month now, on a journey to collect the world's Exspheres so that they may not be used for wicked intent. Though they were early in their quest, and had yet to even collect a true fraction of the Exspheres, Lloyd was always saying how great they were doing. It was just like him to do that. He always kept an optimistic outlook, no matter the situation. Presea truly admired him for that.

One month of travel. One month since the fall of Cruxis and the reunification of the worlds. It seemed so short a time, but in this time Presea had been happier than she could remember being. Perhaps at one time, she had been even happier than she was now, but her memories were still lost in a haze. Though she was free from the Cruxis Crystal's influence, she still remembered only fragments of her life before the crystal.

With these thoughts running through her mind, Presea stood up and stretched her small body. She shortly began making breakfast while waiting for Lloyd to wake up.

She didn't have to wait long. Whether it was from the sounds of clanking pans or – and what Presea considered more likely – the smell of the sausages she was currently preparing, Lloyd began to rouse himself from his sleep. Rubbing his eyes slowly, he murmured a, "Good morning, Presea."

"Good morning," she replied. "Breakfast will be completed in approximately five minutes."

"Great," Lloyd said, folding up his blanket. Slipping it into his pack, he glanced over at his traveling companion. "Hey, Presea," he said, with slight concern, "are you feeling all right?"

Presea looked up from her cooking. "Why wouldn't I be?" she asked in confusion.

"You're drenched in sweat."

"Ah..." Presea replied, noticing for the first time that this was so. "It's... nothing. I merely had a nightmare."

"Must've been a bad one..." Lloyd said softly. As long as he had known her, Presea had almost never been scared, and even when she had been, she had still kept her self-control. If something, even a dream, had frightened Presea so badly...

"It is nothing... please, do not concern yourself," Presea insisted.

"If you're sure..." Lloyd conceded. Pulling a small cloth from his pack, he walked over to Presea and began mopping her forehead. When she stiffened, Lloyd said, "You're soaked. You'll get sick if you don't get dry."

Presea slowly relaxed, and returned to her cooking. "Very well..." she said. "Two minutes remaining until the food is prepared."

One of her rare, small smiles broke through. Out in a peaceful forest, cooking breakfast, with Lloyd watching out for her as he had since they met, it was impossible to feel afraid. Presea wasn't even sure what was so frightening, anyways. What could possibly be scary of the words, "I arrive," anyways?


Gasp! Shock! Awe! If you're not experiencing anything like that, you get no cookies. Mm... what's up with me and these one-word titles? All three - including teh deleted - were like that. Oh well. You know the drill. The three R's. Review, review, and review. Not... that I can force you to or anything. I'd like to be able to, but...

Next time, on Promise - Monsters! But wait, weren't Cruxis behind the monsters...?