Insaneiac: After writing my little angst Yuan/Raine one shot, something gestated. That gestation turned into a plot that had ME, the plotter, wondering what would happen. I tried to disavow it, I tried to say "I've already got Faraway Promises and Beneath the Surface" but it didn't work. SO! At the risk of killing my update schedule even more, I present to you a new epic from Insaneiac the Maniac. It revolves around…a song. This is also, by the way, completely NOT AU, and takes placed about a year after Yasashii Ryoute, so I suggest you read it…if only to get some of the bigger parts of it. If this makes sense, it should take place roughly two years after Tales of Symphonia

Special Thanks: Recently, I've begun to talk with a wonderful writer named Spiritua Masquerade, and had she not assisted me in the ways she did with this chapter and parts of the story, I think I would have written something lame. I owe her a great deal to getting this chapter looking the way it does, and I honestly could not have done this without you.

Summary: The end of the world is coming. Signs have become apparent. Deaths that should not be the reawakening and revival of old nightmares and nemesis, bitter returns and shattering farewells. A world covered by sin, the first step in the purge and rebirth. The Sovereign's song shall mark both conclusion and renewal, and her Testaments will guide the world to the end of its legacy.

Disclaimer: While I actually own the idea, the characters of this and its setting belong to Namco. Well, most of the characters.

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I want to hear that song again. The song that dooms the world.
I want to hear its majesty and purity.
I want to listen to her voice of immaculate perfection.
I would gladly give to her will to hear…that song.

A pale shine casts from the Lance of Symphony
Impaling our world like an arrow to a bird
A top it, many miles and miles away I can still see and hear her
I would never dare pull my eyes away or close my ears off.

She is the Sovereign, the Queen who Sings the world to death
So that rebirth may rejuvenate this land once more.
Her Testaments collect her pieces from the world's floor
And reassemble her atop the Lance

That is the Sovereign…her majesty untapped until our end arrives.
Body of a Goddess
Wings of an Angel
Voice of the Heart.

Her song is the last thing I'll ever hear
And I am glad for it.

------

It began with a tragedy

The Tales of Symphonia are long ones. Unlike most, they span thousands upon thousands of years, and two faithful individuals who were bound to an ideal and more the same than either would ever admit.

My role in this lasted from one end to the other, as a hero, a villain, and much that is in-between. If not for my son…I'd probably have been responsible for the death of this planet.
Or at least a good deal responsible.

However, this is not about those times. That is written in history as the Tales of Symphonia. I know the author of it actually, and he is still arrogant to this day.
This is about what followed it. Some called it the Tales of Testament. Some called it the Tales of Conclusion. Some simply called it the Final Tale.
I called it our darkest and brightest hour entwined. I saw it as what truly made us great.
I felt the Tales of Twilight fit nicely
I saw former enemies create a bond more solid that steel. I saw people abandon race and come closer than any before.
I saw former comrades find love and trust, and others forgive themselves their transgressions.
All the same…I saw friends descend into evil
I saw loved ones march against us

This…these words are not a recounting…I suppose if anything this is an epilogue to the Tales of Symphonia that had been left out of the original, and a prologue to what came after.
After the battle within Castle Vinheim, many thought it was over.
This is the end of my speech, and most likely my life will follow it shortly.
Four thousands years of life has given me many memories, and I truly wished this was never one.

Never the less it is.

Some said it began with tragedy. The death of Genis Sage.

That death caused the party that saved the worlds to shatter and split. Many changed, and some slowly found their ways return, while others were permanently altered.
I say it began with an event of elation
A marriage that spawned from that death. Love spawned from death, when deaths deaden both of them.
So, it begins with the marriage of my closest comrade Yuan, and the level headed and intelligent Raine.
Something I never thought could happen.

Even after four thousand years, I am still ignorant to some truths.

-Kratos Aurion
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The Tales of Twilight
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Chapter 1: Dearly Beloved
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It begins with elation.

"Dammit!" Yuan cursed, still hidden within the confines of his rather well adorned tent. He had never considered himself sloppy in preparations, but then again he never quite got as far as this in the game of love. He was a very mere hour from being married underneath the Linkite Tree and was just trying his hardest to make himself look stable. Inside his head, however, Yuan was doing what Yuan did best. Contemplating everything and anything that could go astray. A rouge attack by half-elf separatists, the King of Meltokio going postal and invading the world, Armageddon, a spontaneous dive from Raine into ruin mode, Derris-Kharlan falling upon the planet, the sudden and unexplainable destruction of someone's town and its people. Some said Yuan was paranoid, but he just thought of it as being prepared for anything, everything, and then some. With another long sigh, Yuan ran a hand through his head and glanced down at the ground. For the first time far too long, his head of ruthlessly uncooperative hair had been mangled and molded into something befitting of a King on his wedding date.

"What am I so afraid of here…?" He muttered to himself, glancing up at a mirror within the tent. He was standing in a custom tailored outfit befitting of a Lord or perhaps a Vassal of the King. He didn't like to think about it, but he knew he would owe Zelos for it in the long run. It was a dazzling suit, the underlying shirt being that of a cloud white shirt with bronze trimming around the collar and down the center of the shirt. His top piece was a marvelous testament to money and hand-eye coordination. A dark blue coat of high quality silk with velvet cuffs and dark red trim around the golden collar and down the center adorned his upper torso while dark blue dress pants with dark red sides lined with gold and secured to his being with a silver belt of sorts. His hands were garnished with proper white gloves with dazzling silver palms and upon his feet were shoes befitting of an emperor, white in color with silver linings and velvet lacings. To be sure, it was the single most extravagant and probably the single most expensive thing he had ever worn.

A fervent series of footsteps sounded outside his tent flaps, and Yuan slowly shifted his head to the source of the noise. A pair of shadows lingered outside his tent and a slow grimace formed upon his face as he realized just who it was. It was always the same two that it was an hour ago, scratching at the tent flaps like kittens pleading for attention. Always wanting to see the same thing they had asked for last time. The two fed off each others enthusiasm in the unhealthiest of fashions.

"Come on…puh-lease…" Came the first voice, pawing at the flap. Zelos Wilder, the man that had both managed to find him the suit and, regretfully, was one of Yuan's toughest choices. When this was all beginning, he and Raine needed to decide who would marry them, and unfortunately for him, she wanted Zelos to marry the two of them. Seeing as how Raine would strike Zelos with blunt objects at the most random of times, it disturbed him that she wanted Zelos to marry the two of them. "I promised we won't laugh…LET US LOVE YOU!" Came another loud reply, causing Yuan to shake his head even more. The Linkite Tree was merely a walk away, the very center for the marriage that Yuan had both longed for and dreaded. The day could not be more pristine, and he was being yelled at by a very nearly special-needs swordsman and his heroic comrade who was two steps away from being in the same boat as Zelos.

"Don't be shy…Come on Yuan. Don't you trust us?" Despite the soft words, the tone behind them even managed to send a shiver up Yuan's spine. Lloyd Irving. The son of his closest comrade, The Eternal Swordsman and the Mithos of Modern Day. Of course, he hasn't split the worlds and gone borderline insane…but even the way he acted seemed similar to the Mithos of old. The two of them had been more than excited about the wedding, even though the day that no one wanted to speak of had come and gone just a month prior.

Yuan growled and caved. "Oh fine…" Lloyd, believe it or not, had been Yuan's choice to follow him down to the altar. It was probably a combination of things, most likely the fact that Lloyd reminded him of both Kratos and Mithos. It was also most likely because if he didn't, Lloyd would have found some other way to make himself a part of the wedding. That required Lloyd to think, and nothing truly good ever came of Lloyd attempting complex plans. "Come in…" Yuan finished, trying his hardest not to sound sheepish. Even without his weapon of choice, Yuan had electricity at his beck and call, and angelic powers as well. No matter what his soon to be wife wanted, if they laughed at him he would fry the tent and both of the idiots with it.

The flaps were practically flung open as if a hurricane blasted through, and Zelos and Lloyd came barging in like it was some sort of birthday party. Maybe to them it was, but to him it was far more important and thought hampering. Within a moment, the excitement died down as both Lloyd and Zelos stared in silence. Suddenly Yuan felt like a piece of art on display, and that was never something the seraph could stand. Yuan took the time of observation to note that Lloyd had dressed himself in the suit took the warrior out of him and made the teen seem like a duke. It was an expertly tailored black three piece tuxedo that fit Lloyd like a glove. Zelos, however, was still in his metro sexual get up that never ceased to either make Yuan grin or make Yuan frown. Unbeknownst to the two comrades, his left eye began twitching violently as they stared, and just as he was about to hurl something at the pair, the pair spoke in unison. That too disturbed both himself and anyone who knew the both of them on a personal level.

"Wow…" They breathed, glancing at each other before turning back to Yuan with big smiles on their faces

"Yuan, you look wonderful." It was Zelos' sincere voice. He had reserved it for when all the jokes were cast aside. Albeit it, that side seemed to become a permanent part of him after the death of Genis, he had managed to retain both parts of his personality in a shaky union. "You look really, truly good my man. Like a prince."

"Raine is going to absolutely love it." Lloyd said. For some odd reason, it was at that point that Yuan felt like running away. Of course, he knew he'd never get far enough from her, he still wanted to. "You're nervous aren't you?"

'WHOA! Hold up!' Yuan mentally screamed, locking eyes with Lloyd. "So what, now your empathetic as well." Yuan mumbled, turning around to grab the black bowtie that would complete the outfit. "And you're sure we couldn't somehow work a cape into this?"

"Absolutely not!" Zelos exclaimed, crossing his arms. "That exquisite outfit cannot be tarnished by a cape. You are going to get married, not to battle. It would be an insult!"

"So you say…" Yuan quipped in return, his voice still not completely hiding the constant nervous twinges that rested within in. Zelos would have commented on, had his gaze not been focused on Lloyd as he glared off behind him. It wasn't long until Yuan noticed Lloyd as well, a frown with a teasing amount of concern resting on his face. Sure, maybe he cared, but to hell if he was going to let them know that. He had an image to maintain.

Zelos ended up becoming seemingly bi-polar after Genis died, which was something that he never could understand. Yet in his opinion, Lloyd changed the most out of the two, and in a far more disturbing manner. For the longest time, Lloyd was in constant grief and usually seemed to be more lost than anything else. Something helped him get back on the right path, either one way or another. At first, Yuan and Zelos discounted it as just an invisible recreation of Genis or perhaps a voice in his head. It wasn't long until the two realized he had been arguing with the voice, and even yelling at it. Soon after, Lloyd had revealed that, ever since the moment Genis passed away, he had been able to see and speak and, in some cases even touch Mithos. That alone disturbed both of them to no known end. It was soon spread through to the rest of the comrades, save for Kratos and Colette…but the latter was a completely different story all around. Lloyd was afraid everyone would turn against him and try to kill him, or at least that was what Mithos had tried to convince him. To Lloyd's surprise, it was Yuan that reassured him nothing of the sort would happen. That was the day he told both Yuan and Zelos the final part of the deal. He had access to all of Mithos' memories and the emotions caused by each one of them. He would have gone on further but Yuan had told him to be silent before walking away in a brooding silence. Zelos, on the other hand, wanted to hear more about it, and soon Lloyd had spilled his final secret with the perverted swordsman. Yuan never did ask about it as time went on.

"Now what is he saying?" Zelos inquired, snapping Lloyd out of his daze. Shaking his head once, Lloyd turned his eyes to Yuan before shifting them to the ground.

"He wants Yuan to know that he thinks he looks good." Lloyd muttered, scratching the back of his head. In a heartbeat, Lloyd's head whipped up and to the immediate right, a furious glare on his face. "AND I AM NOT SAYING THAT!" Lloyd suddenly yelled, throwing a punch through the air. He paused for a moment as the swing finished before pumping his fist in the air.

"Did you get him?" Yuan asked enlightened. A slow smile from the brunette told him that he had. "I suddenly feel better now."

"I bet you my Academic Hottie is just a…" The glance Zelos received from Yuan could have frozen hell and level a mountain range. It also very quickly humbled and horrified Zelos Wilder. "I mean…I bet Raine is nervous too, so don't worry."

"Raine! Nervous?" Yuan spat, laughing as he contemplated the thought ever so briefly. "A year with that woman has taught me better Zelos. If Raine Sage is ever nervous, then we all have good, good cause to be the same."

------ Raine Sage's Tent ------

"Yuan! Nervous?" Raine spat, roaring in laughter as the thought filled her mind. "A year with that man has taught me something profound Sheena. If he EVER gets nervous, then I am sure there is something world threatening approaching!" Raine replied, the emotion of jest fleeting to return her to a borderline edgy state. She gently bit down on her bottom lip, adorned in a hue of kind and persistent red. Sighing, she turned to the mirror to look at herself one final time

Raine had been transformed from the scientist/teacher like image she wore nigh religiously to the picturesque image of beauty. Hours of work on her hair had finally achieved the desired result, as every silvery strand rested meekly, not once curling up and reaching to just above her shoulders. Adoring her forehead was an exquisite chain of silver with an ornate sapphire gem in the center of it, resting upon her brow just above her nose. Yuan had bought it for her as a sign of engagement to her, and this had been the second time she had worn it, saving it for the most special of occasions. Her face had been made up and brought out the inner queen from the rough beauty that was more often than not presented. Around her neck was a necklace with light blue fiber and a striking amber pendant in the shape of a leaf hung just above her bosom. A snow white wedding dress rested beneath the pendant and stretched down to cover her lower body completely, while a pair of white gloves that reached all the way past her elbows adorned her arms, leaving the rest of her upper body uncovered. Upon her feet she wore a pair of white sandals with gold straps that Queens would wage wars for, although Raine was ready to wage a war on them. Finally, the most important part of a wedding gown, the headpiece. A multilayered dazzling display of whites that, although blended together amidst each layer, each still stood distinct among the other. The immaculate headpiece ran down to the small of her back, and the fourth and final layer hanged lower on the sides and front than the rest and draped over her shoulders and down along the fronts of her arms. Resting gently above her head was the silver veil that would cover her face, thin enough to be seen through and yet thick enough to hide the true beauty beneath its surface.

"I'm really doing this aren't I…?" Raine muttered whilst in the midst of swallowing deeply. "I'm not just going to wake up now and find myself standing in front of his grave am I?" Slowly, she turned her head to Sheena and frowned speculatively. "Tell me this isn't some dream."

"With Zelos about to marry you to Yuan, I'd be more afraid of it being a nightmare." Sheena jested, waving her hand gingerly in the air at the mention of the redhead. "I mean, why him Raine? I could never understand that decision. Even Lloyd would have been a better choice in my opinion, and let's be honest here…I'm not sure he could even pronounce half the worlds required." Sheena had always poked fun at Lloyd, but the way she did it was different from her way of speaking about Zelos. When she spoke about Lloyd, even in comedy there was admiration behind the words. To her, Lloyd seemed to be a tower of steadfast determination, incapable of faltering in the pursuit and execution of his beliefs. Even with the creepy little bastard that caused the mess in the first place living within his head.

"I too would like to know Raine. It's confusing…" Presea spoke up, her voice wavering a little as she tried to cope with confusion. The reaction to Genis' death was taken in many different fashions. Sheena became a shoulder for anyone who needed it, and aside from Zelos who had refused to show any tears in public, everyone found themselves making use of her. Presea, on the other hand, was jarred by it in a much more shocking fashion. She soon began to understand that Genis loved her, or at the very least cared for her deeply. Like acid, it ate away at the emotional cage that confined Presea and her feelings.

One day later was all it took, one day later and Lloyd mentioning Genis' name in passing as he and Zelos were about to continue the journey they had started at the end of the battle with Mithos. All at once, every emotion she had thought to be lost of had poured into her soul, freed from the cage. When it did, everyone simply watched as Presea stood still in the middle of the room before bringing her hands to her head and screaming as loud as she could. At least that was what Raine had been told

She was told that Presea didn't stop screaming for several hours, until she broke out into tears. She didn't stop crying for a week. To this day, Raine still pitied her. It took the death of someone that loved her, something she never truly understood until it was far too late, to finally crack through the invincible emotional barricade and bring them all out. Ever since, Presea had been struggling with her emotions, trying to get them under control. She went from having almost none at all to fighting to keep them all contained.

"I just felt like having Zelos do it. Do I need a reason for everything?" Raine retorted, unwilling to defend her stance on the matter.

"Yes…you do. More than anyone Raine. You're supposed to be the reasonable one, so people like Lloyd and myself don't end up getting killed or something." Sheena replied, her voice borderline fearful. "Half the reasons half of us are still alive is because you kept a level head. I ca-"

A long sigh escaped Raine's mouth, a sigh fraught with all her pent up nervousness. She turned to Sheena to answer her when she stopped in mid sentence. Unless Sheena had suddenly developed a form of ninja training that required her to stand perfectly still with a hand in the air and her mouth wide open, Raine had the feeling that she wasn't intentionally standing like such. "Sheena?"

Nothing. "Sheena? Now is not the time for this Sheena, come on." Still nothing. "I swear to…you and Lloyd are more alike than I thought. Presea, why is-" Again, Raine stopped in mid sentence when she saw Presea standing perfectly still, her neck tilted backwards and to the side in what had to be one of the most uncomfortable positions imaginable. "Not you too Presea. Snap out of it already." Raine stated with a considerably unamused tone. Her eyes shifted to the rest of the tent, noting that none of it was moving in the slightest. It was as if everything was frozen flawlessly, in whatever pose it might be.

"Silence." A male voice spoke. A voice that felt like fog wrapping around ones skin and sounded like shadows fleeting from the flickering of a candle. It brought shivers to the wife-to-be that rippled through her body. "All is silent." Spinning around, Raine began to search the square tent for the source of the voice, a little more than nervous now. "All is silent when it should not be." Finally, Raine turned her head back to where it had been before, and came face to face with a black fabric. Before she could do anything, a pair of hands slipped within the headdress and rested on each side of her head, rubbing it gently. To Raine, it felt like mist bouncing off of ones skin, and frightened her to no end.

The being in front of her looked to be no more than a floating black cloak with a drawn hood and more blackness acting as either a face or a mask. Even the hands that rested on her cheeks were black. His touch was cold, but not like the cold of ice. This was a cold that seeped through her entire body and tried to suffocate her. No, the cold was not suffocating…it was drowning her. Her eyes struggled to stay focused on the blackness in front of her. However, it was more than just a blackness that loomed in front of her. This was a black that seemed to invite her into it. A black that promised sleep and peace. A black that invited her to die within it.

Pushing away to the best of her ability, Raine nearly dripped over the train of her gown and stumbled across the short space of room between her the tent wall, colliding and collapsing onto a chair. In front of her, the floating black fabric lowered to the ground before it became anything nearly tangible. The shifting and swirling ghost like cloak took on form and feature, tightening and closing in around what had to be a human shape. Standing at almost a full foot and a half taller than Regal was, the black cloaked man rubbed his hands tenderly before resting them at his side. Even behind the black, slit less fabric of his mask Raine could feel his eyes resting on her being. He had a very athletic build to him, and when she looked closely she could notice the blackness on the figure flickering from his frame, almost as if it were a slow moving inferno. Somehow, Raine found her voice amidst the sudden fear that overtook her. The chill, however, had yet to truly leave her body. It seemed to cling to her as though it craved the warmth she bore within her.

"Who the hell are you, and what the hell do you want?" Raine growled, her attitude suddenly betraying her rather majestic image. At the other end of the white cloth tent stood the pitch blackness embodied, taunting her with his complete silence. Waving a hand in the air slowly, the blackness turned and marched towards Presea, placing his right hand on her forehead and resting it there, sighing. "Don't make me repeat myself!" Raine growled anew as the shadowy figured did much the same to Sheena, though this time without the sigh.

"Nothing quite as warm as life. It is like an eternal flame sealed within black ice. Even when encased in a frozen prison, its warmth is ever felt. Only death can take that flame and that heat. Draw it away and leave only the icy remains." The cloaked one spoke, this time his voice sounding like that of a matured poet, carrying a gentle curve to it that betrayed the words and the figure."Then again, death can strengthen flames as well…can they not? A death has spawned an even more distinct flame, something that could melt that icy prison. Love. Death connects those who shut themselves off from the world, to simply hide, and brings them together."

"Are you quite sane?" Raine choked out, pushing to her feet and looking fervently for her staff. She wasn't much of a fighter, but she was sure she could take on a cloaked poet, even if he could suddenly go all ghost-like.

"I am her royal right hand. I am the hand that takes life and the hand that is first to touch a new life." The chilling words that filled the tent effortlessly seemed to freeze Raine anew in her search, and almost forced her head to glance back at the specter. "I am the Black Testament of Death, the Sovereign's right hand. Her Testaments move anew and in tandem with the days left to this world." A confused look from Raine was enough of an invitation for the specter to continue speaking. "This world is unfit for existence. Her will deems it so."

"Whoever this "her" is, she can take her will and stuff it." Raine exclaimed in return, turning her shocked gaze into a solid glare. She masked mind numbing fear with fierce confrontation

"The defiance of the living is admirable but foolish. Regardless, this world will end." Slowly, the figure faded back into the floating mass of black cloth, raising an arm to point at Raine. Even without seeing a face, she could feel a glare so cold that it froze her to the core. "Redemption is awaiting you Raine Sage. You will have your part to play in the end, just like the rest of the masses." With that, the cloth took a quick spin before charging towards Raine. In an instance she had her hands raised to her face and a silent scream ringing from her throat.

"Whoa, Raine! Are you okay?" Sheena spoke suddenly, snapping the half-elf out of her screaming posture. Raine suddenly felt to hands gripping her shoulders and shaking her carefully, drawing her back from the sudden shock. Slowly, she lowered her hands and blinked a few times, trying to reassemble her thoughts and composure, glancing at Sheena worriedly. "Come on Raine. Don't go shaky on me now."

"Didn't you see that…black…" She tried to be as scientific as possible in describing it, but at that moment her words were failing her as potently as her wit. "…ghost… The cloaked thing. Didn't you see that?" Raine spurted out, already knowing what the response would be. "Great…I probably sound like an insane Lloyd."

"No, not quite. You're not talking to Mithos yet." Sheena responded, taking a gentle shot at Lloyd. Her attitude suddenly shifted to one of seriousness as she considered Lloyd. Within a heartbeat, the subject changed. "We've still got no way to help him with that, do we?"

"No…poor Lloyd." Raine replied.

"Can't Yuan help him at all?" Presea ventured, scratching the back of her head carefully. "He has much more advanced equipment." Raine could note the worry in her voice, but she knew by the girl's reluctance to hide any of it that it was sincere.

"He's already said there is nothing he can do. What about Origin? Can he suggest anything?" Raine inquired. She was doing something she promised she would not do today, and that was letting her almost motherly side show. Lloyd, Colette and, when he was still alive, Genis were all like children to her. After Genis died, Colette ran away. She had considered Raine a heartless traitor after she announced she was in love with Yuan, and after a scathing set of remarks that breached the veil of innocence around Colette, the girl fled. To this day, well over a half year since the confrontation, no one had ever managed to find her. With them gone, Lloyd was really all she had left of her previous life. A life that, when she looked back, was a blissful happiness. She might be in love now, with someone she was willing to trust her life to in all her ways…but she missed the days of old, where she would play the motherly role to three polar opposites who called themselves best friends. She never noticed the convoluted face Sheena wore at the mention of Origin, her hand rubbing the back of her head.

"I don't know…he hasn't responded to me since Genis died. It's like he's shutting himself off from me. I even went to his stone and…and this is the part that baffles me…I can never find it. I take the same route as always, but I can never get to there. Frankly Raine, it worries me."

"That's impossible. Origin wouldn't just disappear." Presea spoke, the still unfamiliar emotion of shock becoming apparent on her face. For a moment, she struggled to swallow the emotion and regain her composure before going on. "Wouldn't the world be in grave danger if he disappeared?"

"More than you could believe. Without Origin…well, Origin is the creator of this world. He's a balancing point for it." Sheena explained to the best of her ability before a loud stomping silenced the two women.

"NO! No more of this! It's my wedding day! We'll have only happiness!" Raine exclaimed, turning around to glare at the two, both of whom were slowly backing away. "I am nervous enough without needing to worry about the world ending, and dammit if this world knows what is good for it, any apocalyptic event WILL wait until I'm happily married to Yuan. On. Pain. Of. Death!" Raine finished, her left eye twitching dangerously. Despite the fact that she looked like an angel in her outfit, everyone knew that this was still Raine Sage. Crossing her is like crossing the King of Meltokio, each and every summon spirit, and death itself. "I'm getting married today, and for the love of Mana, NOTHING is stopping that!"

A few moments of silence lingered before Sheena and Presea excused themselves to get changed into their bridal gowns. All alone, Raine took a deep breath and looked at the mirror in front of her. She truly did look like a real woman for once. She was without a shred of scientist today, and in a way it made her feel naked. Slowly, her thoughts turned to a picture that rested on the rim of the mirror, one that they had gotten under the Linkite Tree. She remembered it fondly, Zelos had gotten his hand on one of Yuan's precious items, this being a camera that held the promise of taking the best pictures, or at least that was what Zelos promised. When both had demanded proof of said promise, all Zelos could do was point to Genis and say 'When he's older.'

Turning her mind back to the photo Zelos took, her lips wavered and slipped from smile to nothing. There was Genis smiling as widely as possible and herself just beside him. She remembered Zelos demanding she kneel down and hug him for the photo. Said it'd be good for when Genis is a big grown up "pain in the ass." There they were. Genis smiling like an idiot and herself kneeling at his side with her arms wrapped around him. It made them look like a real family. A tear threatened to stroll down her meticulously made-up face, hanging at the corner of her eye in waiting. It was the last photo that would ever have the two of them in it…It was that photo that prompted her to have Zelos marry her to Yuan. Because he wouldn't let up on that one stance, Raine had a piece of the past she could always smile upon or cry upon.

"Genis…" Raine whimpered as gave the pleasant memories a chance to resonate within her. Rubbing the picture gently, Raine sighed. A flash of the blackness that had invaded her tent moments ago came and past, leaving her shaking. "Please watch over me Genis…keep me safe." From little brother to guardian angel, she still saw Genis as one of, if not the single, most important people in her life.

------ One Hour Later ------

If Zelos was the master of obtaining the proper threads for a wedding, then Regal was definitely his equal in supplying the venue. The Linkite Tree, which no one had really expected to be the stage of the wedding, was decorated in a most amazing fashion. If Zelos provided the amazing, royalty like garbs, Regal provided the amazing, kingly like stage. The alter stood underneath a large ornate archway that bore the handiwork of a master dwarf, simple lines curved and stretched to form ornate patterns along the archway. The large marble floor was marked within the center with a sapphire podium lined in a white that seemed to dim all the other whites around the area, paling only in comparison to the dress the bride would wear as she walked down to the altar to get married. A long, golden trimmed carpet of ruby stretched past the end of the chairs and towards a large tent. Large masses of seats were on the left and right of the carpet, and along the perimeter of the seats and the tree were sleek lengths of silk in silver and gold hues wrapping around and creating a gentle ring that surrounded and embellished the wedding grounds.

The seats were filled with key members of the Renegades on one side, and members of Iselia on the other. At the front of the right series of seats were the elder and mayor of Exire, and a rather confused looking Virginia nursing the same doll that she did on Exire. It had been Raine herself that asked her to come, sporting the reason of "you remind me of someone unbelievably important to me". With the elder assisting to convince her, Virginia agreed to go. At Virginia's request the Elder had left someone behind to let Kloitz know when he got home where they were, not seeking to argue points. On the other side sat a large number of renegades without their armor or helmets of any kind. It surprised everyone aside from Yuan when they saw humans and elves amidst the mostly half-elf company.

"We weren't going to be racist in choosing who'd fight to save the world." He had explained. It was good enough for everyone.

Near the center of the front row of Renegades was a large video screen of sorts that had Kratos' sitting on the other end of it. Even when in a giant floating world millions of miles away, Kratos wouldn't miss his best friend's and closest comrades wedding. Standing in front of the podium was Zelos, dressed up and looking like a clergyman of royal status. He wore a custom tailored robe that seemed to take a lot of its inspiration from the former pope's robe, with white arms and a gold sash that covered the main robe of red and violet with a pair of white gloves to complete the image. His red and wild mane had been tamed and now was tied into a pony tail that stretched down is back. He wore on his head a headpiece that had to belong to the highest level of clergy. To be honest, Zelos looked nothing like Zelos. To the left of tha Alter was Lloyd in his suit and a high ranked member of the Renegades also in a formal suit, notably human. Just beside the left of the podium was Yuan himself, doing his absolute best not to look like the nervous head case he felt like.

On the right were Sheena and Presea in the velvet bridal gowns, both of whom smiling warmly and excitedly. Presea, as Lloyd could note, was excited visibly. She was desperately holding onto control of herself and keeping from overreacting. Sheena, on the other hand, was smiling at one moment, then passing warning glances to Zelos whenever she could feel his gaze slowly descending to places it should not be. Bishop or not, Sheena would beat the crap out of him if he tried anything lecherous on this day. Yet within she knew that Zelos would never do something like that to Raine. No one would, for either fear of their life or for eternal respect for the woman that kept her head on straight at all times.

Finally, laughter and conversation died down, and Zelos took a final breath, glancing at Yuan. He was sure Lloyd felt it already, but he could tell Yuan was panicky. Panicky and elated, judging by the way he stared off into the distance. "Ladies and Gentlemen of all three races of the world...please hold your tongues now." Zelos spoke gently, resting his hands on the podium in front of him. As if on cue, beautiful music began to fill the clearing and everyone slowly shifted their gazes and heads to the tent at the end of the carpet, with one of the Renegades beside the small screen lifting it up and twisting it towards the tent. Slowly, Yuan leaned back to Lloyd.

"If I try to run, slice my Achilles tendon." Yuan whispered. Lloyd could nod only once before his head shifted back to the walkway.

First out was Regal, in a suit that looked like it might have been worn by the King himself. Regal had garbed himself in his high class duke garb, and as one might very well note by now he wore it without handcuffs. In his right hand was a white glove that rest softly on its palm. For a brief moment, everything froze around Yuan, and he suddenly felt that final opportunity to fly away as fast as possible come and slap him across the face before leaving. Finally, following Regal out of the tent at the end of the carpet was Raine. Everyone stared in delight at the beauty, but Yuan stood apart from the rest. People around him noticed it clearly enough, but Yuan had stopped even breathing at that point except for when he absolutely needed to.

Yuan felt the nervousness, the fear, the paranoia and mind made threats, the borderline coldness, and the tentative insanity, all of the negativity from the moment the day began, all of it fade away. Before, there was everything that could possibly go even slightly wrong, and now there was nothing besides the woman that walked down the carpet in front of his eyes. Even with her face veiled behind the thin layers of silver cloth lightly masking away her face at the time, he was still transfixed on Raine. In that pristine white gown she had gone from the teacher/scientist image to that of unmatched grace and immeasurable beauty. Just seeing his wife to be making her way towards the altar was more than enough to remind him why he was there. Even when Regal and Raine had reached the alter, and Regal had positioned himself within the groomsmen, Yuan was still focused only on Raine and Raine alone.

The second their blue eyes met, the rest of the world died to them. For Raine, all there was there was Yuan. For Yuan, all there was there was Raine. Nothing else mattered at that point. Absolutely nothing at all. Even the thin silver veil that split their view could not hinder the moment at all.

"Welcome, one and all, to this hallowed event." Zelos finally spoke, nigh unable to contain the excitement in his voice. "We are gathered here today to witness the bonding of Yuan and Raine Sage in the holiest of matrimonies. Today, on this most perfect of days and underneath the Linkite tree that stands before us, we shall all of us bear witness to the union of these two together."

The rest of the Zelos' speech faded away as Yuan and Raine watched one another. For the first time in either's relationship they could see the underlying after touch of nervousness that had once lingered. The thought of what they were about to embark upon in life twisted everything around, brought the moment their lives changed and melded together back to focus. The day they met in that alleyway and the day that they saw one another in a different light.

In the beginning, Raine had seen Yuan as nothing more than a cold hearted leader who cared more for a goal than any living being's life. Even when they found his ring and she found out that Yuan had once been in deep love with Martel, Yuan had been more unforgiving about it than revealing, seeming colder than anything. When Botta had died in the service of "Lord Yuan" and he had not even spared a twitch for the fallen hero, she felt like driving her staff into his face until he stopped moving. How one could just shrug off the death of a loyal comrade like it was nothing enraged her. Nothing about Yuan was respectable to her, not until he hurled her bottle of "fine wine" across the alley and practically kidnapped her over a year ago. At that moment, Yuan went from the cold leader to something warm and there, as if he would never disappear.

To him, Raine had always been thought first and nothing more. He rarely saw her so much as blink concernedly for anyone when they had sparingly met. When she spoke, even in defense of another, it sounded like she was defending just another person and nothing more. The way she treated her little brother almost appalled him at times, and even he felt like telling her off in the most righteous of manners. It wasn't until he saw her completely defenseless and broken that he realized she was always wearing a mask. Something to cover up any weakness that might be exploited, so that she could be depended upon by those around her as something that would never fail. To him, she went from that cold and heartless to someone stronger than anyone he had ever known. Where one might see coldness, he saw strength. And underneath it all, he began to understand her.

Some would say they were meant for each other, that the redline of fate was tied to each of them. Others would say it would never last, that they would repulse each other eventually. Yet at that moment, if either of the two ever had doubts, that gaze then and there evaporated it. All there was in the other's eyes was love. Unkempt, unhampered and unaltered love.

"Now then!" Zelos exclaimed, drawing the reality back to the two. Even after it all returned, neither moved their gaze from the others. "Speak your vows to one another and allow the words to seal the two of you together."

Yuan began first, nearly fighting to get his lips to finally move. "I, Yuan, vow to love you from now until the end of life as it is known and then beyond that. I vow to stand beside you no matter what might come, and when that does come, to stay by your side. I vow that I will hold you tightly when you need to know that this is real, and to whisper assurance to you when you need it most, no matter how empty it may all feel. Most of all, I vow that I will never disappear from your life. I will never abandon you or fail you from this moment until to the end of time." Yuan spoke. There was not a twitch in his voice nor a mask in how he spoke it, this was Yuan speaking purely from the soul.

Gently he turned to take the ring that had taken Lloyd, Dirk, Altessa and himself more time to craft that he believed possible, and had crafted perfectly. Soothingly he lifted Raine's left hand and slid the ring onto her finger, his smile as warm to Raine as the feel of his hands closing down around her hand when he finished placing the ring.

"This ring is of Zircon. It is the most difficult of all materials to craft, but it lasts far longer than all others." Yuan spoke, lifting his glance from his hands to her face. "Just as will my love for you." Removing his hands, Raine gazed upon the ring longingly, for the first time locking her eyes with something other than Yuan. It bore a jewel of a translucent blue, with a small circle of a flawless clear jewel. Blinking away tears that threatened to dash her face. From behind the veil, Raine could only smile deeper and deeper before glancing back up at Yuan. "Its gemstone is an emerald, the only one existing with a color that matches your eyes." Thankfully, at least Raine was, Yuan could not see her eyes watering then and there. A slow breath was the next sound that was heard before Raine began"

"I, Raine Sage, vow that the love I have for you will never dim and as that it shall remain until death takes me. I vow to hold that love even when death has come and claimed me, forever more. I vow that there will never be a time where I am not there for you. Through pristine serenity and hellish fire shall I stay with you and face all that might come. I vow that I will hold faith in you relentlessly, and to stay faithful forever more. Most of all, I vow that I will not now, nor ever, break this bond of trust and flee. I'll walk with you down life's path until the end of it comes, and never shall I walk away from you as we walk down that path. From now until the end of all existence." Raine spoke clearly, her voice remaining solid and constant. To everyone around her though, she sounded different from what they had known of her. It took but a second for one and all to realize that the person to speak was Raine clearly and truly. She wasn't masking her voice in anyway shape or form. She had spoken with her soul's form and her heart's voice.

Turning to the side, she took her ring and gently picked up Yuan's left hand, allowing her fingers to brush the surface of the hand ever so lightly. In her hand was the last remnant of the father she barely even knew. She received it the day they first came to Exire, from the elder. He had told her to keep the box closed until the day she found someone special to her in ways she would never comprehend. She knew the moment that he proposed that that person was Yuan. Inside the box had been a dazzling ring that gently sparkled when in contact with light, and perched on the top of the ring itself was a translucent crystal that held a velvet outer hue with a gentle sea blue tint transition towards the center.

"This ring is made of mithrill. It's a material that can be molded only once before it is solid and inalterable for the rest of eternity. It signifies my love for you Yuan." Raine spoke, a little less contained then before. As he had done before him, she slid the ring gently onto his finger before closing both of her hands around his. Her eyes lifted from her hands to rest on Yuan's, soaking in the glorious gaze that resonated from behind his blue eyes. "The gemstone is a tourmaline, a crystal that represents an unbreakable foundation of love and stability. If anything, let that always remind you of the degree of my love that is yours and yours alone." Slowly, she removed hands from his and let her soon to be husband gaze upon the ring. His eyes lowered to the ring that rest on his hand, and for a moment there was nothing. A moment later, yet only to those who knew him well enough, Yuan was holding back a tear of his own with desperate force. From behind Raine, Sheena whipped a tear from her eye as she watched on, with Presea wearing a smile that seemed to wipe tears away for her. Once again, the lovers' eyes locked with one another, content to rest there for eternity.

It took Zelos a moment himself before he could find it in him to continue. Blinking only once, Zelos once again began to speak. "You have each bore ears to the other's vows. Now…" Zelos turned his eyes from the lovers to the crowd before them. "These two have announced the vows they swear to one another. Among us today, is there one among you who does not wish to see these two wed? If not, speak now or hold your peace forever more." Zelos spoke, his words and tone serene and calculated. Yet everyone who knew the man could sense the underlying tone that declared a painful and never ending death for the person who would dare think to speak.

When no when spoke a single word, Zelos smiled and continued without missing a beat. "With that through, I ask you now. Do you, Yuan, accept the vows that Raine Sage has pledged to you and the love she has confessed for you, to hold and to cherish until death do you part?"

Not a moment of hesitation was found in Yuan's voice. "I do."

With that, Zelos turned his gaze to Raine. "Do you, Raine Sage, accept the vows that Yuan has pledged to you and the love he has confessed for you, to hold and to cherish until death do you part?"

There was not even a blink of a pause in Raine's voice. "I do."

"Then, in front of the eyes of family and friends, underneath the Linkite tree before us on this day of pristine tranquility and somber serenity. By the right of the former Chosen of Tethe'alla and the power granted by such a title…" Not a soul could mistake the rising excitement in Zelos' voice, and even without hearing his voice, one could see his excitement growing just on his face. "…it is with the highest level of elation that I hereby do declare you Yuan, and you Raine Sage, husband and wife. Yuan, you may kiss the bride." Zelos finished, barely containing himself from yelling out the final line.

Yuan lifted his hands to each side of the veil that blocked his lips from Raine's, and lifted the sheets of cloth with tender care. Placing his right hand softly on her right cheek, Yuan equally as tenderly wrapped his left hand around the back of his new wife and sealed their lips together in front of the crowd. Like a reflex, Raine's arms wrapped around the upper back of Yuan as his lips locked tightly with hers. Within a half moment's pause, the entire crowd shot to their feet and erupted into a roar of cheers and clapping that could have well been heard across the planet. For longer than any of the crowd could have anticipated and far shorter than either of the newlyweds had wanted it they kissed, breaking it ever so leisurely. With there faces no more than a breath's thickness apart did they linger, gazing into one another's eyes. To the two lovers the crowd's cheering died around them, even when the crowd in question was still screaming and cheering for the couple.

"I love you Raine. I truly love you." Yuan whispered.

"And I love you Yuan. Truly, I love you." Raine whispered back.

Still entangled in their own exclusive silence, serene music that could only come from a hundred ocarinas filled the air around them and drew them back to reality. The cheering had died down with the first few notes of the music, and now everyone was searching for the maker of such a lovely melody. Everything remained silent aside from the beautiful music that came from seemingly nowhere at all. While everyone was looking for the source of the music, it was Yuan and Raine first that turned towards the true source of the serenade. Smiles on both their faces and still firmly wrapped in the other's arms, they watched the Linkite tree play them a song that could only come from the heart and soul of a devoted being fill the clearing and massage the masses. Turning back to his face, Raine smiled into the cheek of the man she just married.

"Looks like Martel approves too." Raine whispered gently into Yuan's ear. Slowly, he turned to face Raine again, a smile on his face as well.

"I always knew she would."

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Some say it began with tragedy
Others say it began with elation
However it began, no one could see how it ended.
No one expected it to end the way it did.

However it was said to begin, one thing and one thing alone was certain.

This was only the beginning.

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A/N: Welcome to the opening to Tales of Twilight, the Insaneiac's vision of the perfect sequel to Tales of Symphonia. It took a bit of convincing for me to go ahead with this story, having it linger in idea phase until I finally discussed it with a fellow author, not to mention an amazing one at that. Her name is Spiritua Masquerade. I thanked her in the beginning of this, but it is true that I owe her a lot of credit towards making this possible. I really couldn't have done a lot of this without her. Specifically the rings for the wedding, the location, and some of the lines used in the wedding were her ideas…once again, I am incredibly grateful for the help she has given me.

Now then, to make this far more interesting than just another story, I'm leaving pairings blank. Note, I did not say out of the story, only blank. Yuan and Raine are the only truly set pairing in this story, as you could all more than less likely tell from the opening chapter. Aside from any incest pairing, and Lloyd and Colette…this is where the story gets even more interesting. I want you, the reader, to tell me what pairings you want to see. Think long and hard, and don't worry. I'll be letting you know when the chance to put your influence in here is over and done with, but lemme know what you all want. Aside from the ones I stated above, all pairings are open. Any you can possibly think of and I mean ANY. This way, I hopefully can make this an enjoyable reading experience for all who want to read. Peace!