I had just changed into my nightgown and was staring out my window. I was thinking about Tales of the Abyss, the game I had just beaten. There had been some tough battles, especially with Legretta at Deo Pass and Van at the end. Instead of being happy I had beaten it though, I was actually kind of sad. It was an incredible game and I didn't want it to end. I was devastated that Asch died. I know Ion died too, but I was more upset about Asch. He was my second favorite character after longhaired Luke.

Now I know most people like shorthaired Luke better, but I hated that guy. For one thing, he just looks cooler when his hair's longer. For another, there are not nearly as many funny scenes of him picking on poor Mieu. (I don't have anything against Mieu, but I still thought it was hilarious.) To top it off, he no longer values his life. The whole "I don't want to die, but I have to atone for my sins" thing really got on my nerves. I liked him better when he was a brat. At least then he had some fight in him instead of letting Asch kick him all over the place.

I don't have anything against Ion either, but it would have been a little too unbelievable if they had managed to beat the God Generals and Van twice without any casualties. I know Ion didn't die as a result of battle, but it evens things out a bit. I feel sorry for Anise though. I think they liked each other, but now that Ion's gone I don't know who she'll go with. A lot of people put her with Florian, but I can't see her replacing Ion with a look-alike that easily.

As I was thinking these things, a shooting star zipped past my window. "I wish Abyss didn't have to end," I thought to myself. "I wish Asch didn't have to die." I was moping for a few moments before reality hit me. "I'm an idiot! I could have wished for a million bucks!" Crossing my fingers and hoping to undo the first two wishes in favor of the third, I crawled into my bed to get some sleep.

"Wake up! You have to get up! The Duke will be furious! Please wake up!" I opened my eyes to see a maid hovering over me. Since when do I have maids? "Thank goodness you're up. You've got to get changed, there's no time to waste." She turned around and started rummaging through some drawers. If I have a maid, does that mean I'm rich? Maybe I'm a millionaire after all! I was feeling pretty awesome until she turned around with a maid outfit. "Here, put this on. Breakfast will be starting soon and we're already late."

I just stared at it. I'm a maid? What happened to my million bucks! "Here, I'll help you. She proceeded to yank the nightgown over my head without asking, causing me a great deal of embarrassment. She then shoved the maid outfit over my head. Not wanting to be subjected to any further torment, I grabbed the leggings from her. "I've got it, thanks," I said. She nodded and then went to work making my bed. Seeing that her side of the room was already finished, I changed into the rest of the outfit. She put my nightgown away as I finished.

"Hurry, there's no time to waste." She grabbed my wrist and pulled me to the kitchen. "You carry out the food; I'll take care of the plates and such." I nodded and went to grab the nearest dish. It was lobster. I've never eaten lobster in my life and these guys have it for breakfast! Figuring that I probably couldn't take a bite without someone noticing, I followed her to the dining room.

I had no idea if the food was supposed to go in some specific place or not, so I just set it in an open spot on the table. My roommate had set out three plates; it seemed like such a small number for such a big table. "Hurry back and bring out another dish; they'll be here soon." I nodded and repeated the cycle of bringing out more food. I couldn't identify half the stuff I was carrying. She had brought out the glasses and was now working on the silverware. They had so many utensils; I don't know how they kept track.

She was organizing them when another maid passed us. "You'll need to set an extra place; Dorian General Grants is here." Dorian General Grants! Why did that name sound so familiar? It couldn't be who I was thinking of though, because he's not real. "Could you grab what we need?" my roommate asked me. "I'm still working on this, and you brought out the last of the food."

I told her I could and went to grab them. When I re-entered the room though, I froze. A woman who looked exactly like Suzanne was sitting down. If that wasn't enough to make me stand there with my mouth open, Duke Fabre and Van entered the room. It scared me so bad I dropped everything just as the door I was standing in front of swung into me and knocked me over.

"Hey, what the heck happened?" I recognized that voice; it was Luke Fon Fabre. I was definitely not on planet earth anymore. I was stuck in a videogame! To top it off, the glass and plate had shattered into pieces. They looked like they were worth way more than I could pay for. I was guessing the fact that the silverware was intact wasn't going to help me any.

Duke Fabre looked scary. But I had always thought he was kind of creepy, so maybe this was normal. "Clean this up at once!" he shouted at me. "You!" he pointed at the other maid, "Fetch replacements immediately!" Okay, so it wasn't normal. At this point, I was just trying not to get fired.

"Of course Your Grace," she said with a bow before scrambling off. Fortunately, while I was gone, she had moved Luke's silverware and stuff into Van's spot. She probably figured we didn't have much time left. I scrambled to pick up the broken pieces as the Duke and Van sat down. Luke didn't even bother to help; he just walked right past me. "Where's my plate?" he whined.

I was tempted to say "It's on the floor in pieces, Sir" but I didn't think that would go over well, so I kept my mouth shut. "Luke dear, the poor girl was bringing you your plate until you knocked her over. Shouldn't you apologize?" At least Suzanne wasn't mad at me. "She's the moron standing in front of a door, why should I have to apologize to her?" "I've been here less than an hour and they already hate me," I thought miserably.

"Enough!" bellowed the Duke as the maid scrambled back in. She quickly set Luke's spot. I had finished gathering up all the broken fragments and was tossing them in a nearby wastebasket. Not the best place for disposal, but I didn't want to miss anything. Luke grumpily sat down. "What did you want me for anyway? And why's Master Van here? Today's not a training day is it?"

"Normally no, but I thought I'd get in some extra training with you since I'll be gone for a while," Van responded. "I'm needed in the search for Fon Master Ion."

"What's a Fon Master Ion anyway?" Luke asked. I could see everyone get horrified looks at his question. It's amazing how little they taught him. "Fon Master Ion is the leader of the Order of Lorelei," Suzanne responded. "It's thanks to him that the truce between Malkuth and our Kingdom of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear is in effect today."

"If Ion's predecessor, Evenos, is the hero who ended the Hod War, then Fon Master Ion is the symbol of our peace." Van elaborated. "Being that I myself am an official in the Order, it's required that I search for him."

"Who cares," said Luke, "they can search for him themselves. Who's going to train me if you're gone?"

"I'll send one of my men to come and train you in my absence."

"But I want to be trained by you!"

"Luke!" roared the Duke, "That is an incredibly selfish attitude!" Don't you ever think of anyone besides yourself?"

"Don't be so hard on him dear," begged Suzanne. "This child has seen things so horrible that he's forgotten his childhood memories."

"Suzanne, you spoil him."

"It's all right," said Van. "It can't be easy being locked up here in the manor after all."

"Why does Uncle have to keep me locked up anyway?" asked Luke. "Just because he's King, he thinks he can do whatever he wants."

"Luke, my brother is only concerned for you're safety! Just three more years and you'll be free. Just hang on a little longer, alright?" begged Suzanne.

"Yeah, I know, but still…"

"Luke when you're ready, meet me in the courtyard," Van said. "I promise we'll do enough training today to make up for all the time I'm gone."

"Really?" said Luke. "I'll go get my sword." He walked off humming.

"Well then Your Grace, Milady, I'll be taking my leave now if you don't mind," Van said as he bowed.

"Yes, thank you for your time," Lady Suzanne said. The Duke nodded and Van exited the room.

This was a problem. If Van had come to talk to Luke about leaving to find Ion, it meant that Tear would be showing up soon. If I could make it so that Tear was able to kill Van right now, it would save everyone a whole lot of trouble. Ion and Asch wouldn't even have to die! It seemed like the perfect solution. Except the God Generals are still out there, no one knows what Van was trying to do, Luke won't meet up with anyone else, he'll hate Tear for life, and if they capture Tear, she'll be executed.

As I was thinking about what would be the best way to proceed, the maid tugged on my sleeve. "Come on, we have to clean this up. I can't believe he didn't fire you; you are so lucky that it was Master Luke who made you fall." Actually, I would have dropped the stuff anyway, but we're not going to mention that.

"Um, there's actually something I have to do right now. I'm sorry, but could you please take care of this for me; I'll make it up to you later."

"If the Duke catches you he'll-"

"I know, but this is important. Can you please do it this once?" She didn't really look convinced, but she nodded and I wasn't going to miss my chance. "Thanks," I said as I dashed off towards the courtyard.

By the time I got there, Luke and Van had already started practicing. Luke was trying to get the hang of Fang Blade, and he actually wasn't doing too bad. Tear's going to be here real soon; I've got to think of a way to avoid her hymn. I had decided plugging my ears was the best way to go. I was just about to when I heard a voice. "Can I help you, miss?" Pere was looking at me curiously. Great, I've got to think of a reason to be out here. Fortunately, Tear saved me from answering.

"Tue rei zue kroa ryo tue zue." Aw, crap. I quickly shoved my fingers in my ears and made a mad dash for Luke.

"That voice…it's putting me to sleep."

"What the heck are the guards doing?"

"Tear…I knew it."

That last sentence was spoken by Van just as Tear jumped down from the roof. "I've finally found you Vandesdelca; prepare to die traitor!" Tear shouted as she charged at him. Luke was running to try to block for Van, but I was prepared for this and tackled him before he got there. "What to you think you're doing!" Luke demanded, trying to push me away.

"Stopping you from making a huge mistake," I told him. We then heard the sound of Tear's staff piercing Van's armor. "What is the meaning of this?" demanded Van.

"Don't act like you're innocent," said Tear before striking again. Apparently, being wounded had freed him from the effects of Tear's hymn, because he moved his sword to block. Then a white light started to surround them. "Hyperresonance," said Van. "Damn it."

This isn't supposed to be happing, Luke never got in the way. Wait a minute. Van is a seventh fonist too you moron, how could you forget that! This is bad. It's worse than bad. If Van get's warped instead of Luke, Auldrant is doomed. Luke will never meet up with any of the others. Even if Tear meets up with Jade and Anise, they won't have Luke to rewrite the passage rings. Plus, I have no idea how having Van meet up with everyone is going to affect things. I guess the best thing I can to now would be to try to get things as close to the way they were as possible.

How was I going to do that, you ask? Well, I attached myself to Tear, figuring that if she was going to get warped, I would too. Luke tried to get to us, but he wasn't fast enough. The hyperresonance occurred, sending the three of us halfway across the world. "Please tell me I didn't just doom Auldrant," I thought to myself.