Me: Hey, everybody! So…yeah. I'm Eternal Wings, and I'm posting this story on Lunaescence, as well – the version posted on this site will be the slightly revised version, in terms of mostly grammar. This was originally posted on Fanfiction!
Richter: Hmph. You act as if they care.
Me: Why are the characters always so mean to me? ;_; Unfortunately, this is not a reader-insert. Fortunately, this story is based off of both Tales of Symphonia and its sequel, Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World. For this reason, I recommend everyone to have played Dawn of the New World before they read this…but if you don't, it isn't really necessary, because anything significant that happened in the game and is also significant to this story is at least briefly explained. I understand…Dawn of the New World wasn't nearly as good as its prequel…or long. XD Hit it, Rich-kun!
Richter: …-rolls eyes- Eternal Wings owns nothing besides her characters and this story.
Chapter One
It was nighttime. The illuminated glowing stars shone dimly in the pitch black sky. Around her, nothing could be heard except for nature's serene and comforting sounds. Long wavy light brown hair was toyed with by a gentle breeze while crimson eyes took in the sight of the enormous tree. Her thin fingers slowly ran down the brown bark, feeling its roughness against her slightly tanned and soft skin. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply.
Why had she come here? In all honesty, she didn't want to cross over. She was afraid of what laid beyond, on the other side of this tree: the unknown. It was true that she had been born on Dherris-Kharlan, but for all eighteen years of her life, she had been raised on this side of the Universal Line – this was her home. She couldn't say for sure, but she was almost positive that the world that existed on the other side was much different from both Dherris-Kharlan and her home world.
Why did she have to leave and go protect such a foreign place? She didn't know what to expect, what her destination was like, or even when she could return...
If she could ever return.
For all she knew...this could be the last time that she would ever glimpse upon the beauty of the stars that glimmered high above her in the dark sky.
She was a beautiful young woman. The maiden wore a sleeveless and strapless top that matched her eyes; it covered only her developed chest and exposed her flat stomach. She also wore fitting white shorts, sandals that also matched her eyes and strapped fancily around her ankles, thick gold bracelets that tightly bound her wrists, a gold necklace with a white orb in the center of the amulet attached to it, and white pearl earrings.
"Ariel. Are you ready?"
The young woman, Ariel Irving, turned around to see one of her companions watching her with an unwavering, stoic gaze. Anyone else would have thought this woman's expression to be emotionless, but Ariel had been with her long enough to detect the worry that she hid carefully within the depths of her unusual eyes.
She was a gorgeous woman who seemed to be twenty six years of age with long white hair pulled into a wavy-curled ponytail by a black ribbon and tossed over her right shoulder, flawless pale white skin, and deep burgundy eyes. She wore a loose white button up blouse, a fitting black skirt that came down to just above her knees, black heels, and a black choker around her neck.
"Hikari...where's Yami?" Ariel asked the woman.
"My counterpart is holding off the Cyrian Knights. He's strong, but it will only be a matter of time before they get past him. We need to get going. We must make it to the Aselian Ginnungagap through their Otherworldly Gate before it's too late," Hikari answered, causing Ariel to curse.
How had the knights already caught up with them so quickly?
"...I see...we should get going, shouldn't we..." Ariel trailed off dismally. Her fingers ran idly over the amulet of the necklace that she wore around her neck; it was a habit of hers that always occurred whenever she was deep in thought.
"Are you afraid?" Hikari cocked her head, taking note of the way that Ariel's fingers stroked the white orb of her amulet. " If you're afraid, we don't have to do this. What happens to those people is no concern of ours."
"..." The brunette was unable to say anything, wondering where her courage and motivation had suddenly gone.
Fire engulfed the dying lands. Blood seeped into the decaying ground. The air smelled heavily of dust, dirt, and death. The skies were a violent orange-red color, reflecting the images of flames and carnage. Dead bodies piled onto the solid earth everywhere.
The Rolons had been massacred.
Rolon was burning to the ground...and all Ariel could do was watch.
She had been too late.
"Perhaps now you are ready to surrender the Symphonian Core?" She heard the voice of her antagonist ask.
The voice that she so loved...and hated.
"All these people...all these homes...all these lives...! They were all lost – and for what? Just so that you could get to me?" Ariel whispered incredulously, falling to her knees as her eyes took in the sight of the catastrophe before her. She could feel the beginning of tears burn hot in her eyes.
"How...how could you do something like this? Something so...so vile and cruel? How could you destroy Rolon...how could you take away so many lives...without feeling even a twinge of guilt or remorse? How?!"
"I killed no one. There is no blood on my hands. I must comment on how dedicated to Cruxis those Cyrian Knights are, however. They saw your refusal to give up the core as defying Cruxis, and because Rolon was sheltering you, they saw it as an act of betraying Cyria. That is why they desire your head on a silver platter – that is why Rolon was set aflame, and why its inhabitants were slain. Even so, their blood is still stains your hands. Had you handed over the Symphonian Core, Rolon would still be standing and all of its people would still be alive," he responded.
"You chose to save a parasitical world full of greedy and selfish strangers over the one thing that could determine Cyria's salvation. You chose those people's lives over the lives of the people who had protected you for all these years. You are the one who is at fault. I speak nothing but the truth. The blood of these people was indeed spilled over your hands...the loss of their lives is on your slate."
Ariel fell silent, hearing the truth in his words.
"Now, then...will you give the Symphonian Core to me? Or must I dirty my hands this time and stain them with the blood of yet another person dear to you?" Her antagonist demanded.
Hearing the sound of someone groan in agony caught the brunette's attention. Ariel looked up to see a familiar body covered in blood, battered and badly wounded. She felt her heart stop as her blood ran cold in her veins.
Long, luscious blue hair...
Powerful, gorgeous green eyes...
Immediately, she knew the body's identity.
"YUAN!" She shrieked in horror, racing towards the injured man. "Please, hang on! I'm healing you right now, see? Just please, don't give up on me...!" She pleaded as she began to use her healing artes in an attempt to heal his severe wounds.
"A...Ariel?" Yuan weakly turned his gaze, blurry and slightly off, towards the source of the feminine voice.
"Oh, no...no, no, no, no, no, no...this can't be happening...not you, too...! Oh goddess, please no..." Ariel shook her head in disbelief, hunched over her companion. Seeing Yuan Kafei in such a pitiful condition nearly shattered her heart.
This man meant everything to her...
This man was one of the last things that she had left to fight for.
"Ariel...calm down." Yuan ordered, making her freeze.
"...Y-Yuan...I just realized...you've been calling me by my first name...you've always called me Irving...I've never...I've never heard you...oh, goddess...that only proves just how dire this situation is...!" She uttered in horror.
"Forget about me, Ariel. You...you've got to get out of here...you're our only hope..." Yuan tried to sit up, but hissed in pain from his injuries.
"Stop pushing yourself! You'll only make your wounds worse!" Ariel scolded.
"Ariel-"
"No."
"Ariel-"
"No."
"Ariel-"
"No, Yuan! I won't leave you behind like you're about to suggest I do, so you might as well save your breath and energy!" Ariel snapped. "Dammit! My healing artes...they're having no effect on you at all...but why?!"
"It's because...they aren't wounds...that you can heal. That being said...there's nothing you can do here," Yuan replied, trying to even his staggered breathing.
"He wants the Symphonian Core. If he gets a hold of it, he'll-"
"I don't care what he does with it anymore! So many people have wound up dead because of it...I'm not going to let you or anyone else fall victim to death's hands for the sake of a useless core!" Ariel cut Yuan off angrily.
"The Symphonian Core is not useless – and you know that. That core is probably the most important and most vital object in all of existence. You are no longer a child who is oblivious to the power of that core – you are a well-informed Bearer of the Right. You had better start acting accordingly and stop being such a brat. No one said your life would be easy or that it would even be fair – get over it. Use the power you were born with to help protect the Symphonian Core, not to put it in harm's way," Yuan reprimanded harshly once he gained better control over his breathing.
"...Why? Why should I continue to protect it? Just because I bear the right doesn't mean I'm obligated to do anything about any of this."
"You should feel more than obligated. For Aselia's sake."
"What happens to Aselia has nothing to do with me."
"What happens to Aselia has everything to do with Cyria and Dherris-Kharlan when you look at it in the long-run. All those people who lost their lives for the sake of protecting both you and that core...if you don't continue to protect it and live on, then their lives will be lost in vain. Is that what you want? To dishonor their sacrifice? To put their deaths to a wasteful shame?"
"..."
"Such a sweet scene...it makes me want to vomit." The antagonist sneered after interrupting Ariel and Yuan. "It is as he said before. The wounds that he has received can only be healed by Cruxis healers for they are the only ones who know the technique – thus rendering your artes powerless. He's very important to you, isn't he? If you be a good little girl and hand over the core, then I'll allow him to live. If not...then who knows what will happen to him? Maybe...he'll end up just like Elaine."
Ariel's stomach began to churn with hatred and disgust. "Shut up! How dare you?! After everything you did to her...you haven't the right to so much as utter her name – especially not in my presence!" She barked before pulling Yuan to her body protectively. "I won't let you harm Yuan or anyone else I love anymore – not a single one of them! You'll have to pry the core from my lifeless hands and hurt my loved ones after stepping over my cold, dead body!"
"That's enough, Ariel. Hikari, Yami...you know what to do. Get her out of here and keep her safe for me," Yuan called out to the two counterparts, knowing that they could hear him.
"Yuan, no. Don't make me leave. Please...don't make me go!" Ariel begged. Even though they belonged to her, she knew that the counterparts would side with Yuan when it came to things like this, for he was usually the more sensible one.
They're going to force us apart...he's going to make me leave him behind.
At that very thought, the tears that had been building up in her eyes, the very ones that she had tried so hard to suppress, were now streaming down her cheeks as she began to speak with a panicky urgency, practically clinging to Yuan now.
"I want to stay here with you! I have to protect you! I don't...I don't want to be separated! Because if I lose you, I'll...I'll...!"
"Shh. None of that, you hear? I'll be fine, you stupid girl. You should know that I'm not easy to kill. I'm not the one who should be worried about – you are. If you stay here for too much longer, you'll pass out and possibly lose sight of your goals. We can't afford either of those things. I need you to protect that core, just as Yami and Hikari will protect you for me...Irving." Yuan reached up and gently wiped her tears away.
"Don't cry for me. Weren't you the one who called me your Guardian Angel? I'll always be watching over you, no matter where you are, no matter how much distance is between us. We'll be reunited before you know it – I swear to Martel that I will not die on you. Now, Gemini Twins...take her away."
"Forgive us, Ariel," she heard two synchronized voices apologize to her.
And then, she saw nothing but darkness.
"...I...I want to do this. No...even more than that, I have to do this. I have to save Yuan. He's my companion. I can't let yet another person dear to me die for the sake of me and this core...like Elaine did. As much as I hate the Aselians...I agree with neither Cruxis nor the Cyrian Knights," Ariel finally spoke up.
"So then, you have given up on assisting in Cyria's salvation in order to protect Aselia? But Aselia exists at the expense of Cyria," Hikari pointed out.
"I know that, Hikari...I know that they're the entire reason why we suffer. But...I just...I just don't think that it would be alright for us to destroy Aselia for own our sake – that would make us no better than them. That's why...I will protect this core. As a Bearer of the Right, I swear upon the good name of Symphonia...that I will save Yuan and find a way for the four worlds to co-exist peacefully."
"So, then...you do not believe that what Cruxis and the Cyrian Knights strive for is just?"
"It isn't a matter of what is and isn't 'just' – it's a matter of what is and isn't wrong. I believe that what they strive for...is perhaps 'just'. Even so, it is simply, without a doubt, wrong. That's why I can't allow it."
"I see. As your Centurion, Yami and I will follow you to the end of the world, no matter what your ideals may be. We owe you our life, after all. I only wanted to know where exactly you stood." Hikari offered Ariel a small smile that vanished just as quickly as it came. "We have no more time left that we can afford to waste if you truly are serious about this, however. We must go."
Ariel nodded. "Yes, you're right. Thank you, Hikari...for always staying by my side. Let's do this."
With a renewed sense of determination, Ariel turned around and faced the Great Cyrian Tree. Putting her hands together as though she were praying and closing her eyes, the young woman summoned forth a green portal made of pure mana from the World Tree. Without hesitating, Hikari stepped through it and was transported to the other side. Ariel glanced up at the beautiful stars one last time before disappearing through the portal as well.
And so, once again...a journey begins.
Change In POV
It was silent in the sealed off room of the Ginnungagap that concealed the Door of Niflheim within it. The only lighting came from the red glow of Niflheim and the glow of the dormant Centurions' cores. The room itself gave off a mystical and somewhat eerie aura.
Damn.
It was that feeling again.
Ratatosk frowned, once again disturbed from his effort to rewrite the world's natural law. "Dammit...what the hell is wrong with me?" The Summon Spirit mentally cursed, sighing. Frustrated, he gave up on working for now.
Was his age finally catching up to him? His senses and instincts were usually dead on, but how could something be going wrong? What could possibly be going wrong was probably a much better question.
The Vanguard had been abolished. The new World Tree was being protected and producing mana. The Centurions were monitoring the world's mana levels with their existence from within their dormant cores. Richter was sealing the Great Door. And aside from assisting Richter, he was rewriting the natural law.
Everything was stable now.
So then why did he feel so...uneasy?
"Hmph. What's wrong with you?"
"...I could ask you the same thing. Since when have you ever given a damn about me?" Ratatosk turned his gaze to the Great Door.
Though Richter had become a human sacrifice and had used his body's mana so that it could burn for all of eternity with the assistance of the sacred stone and seal the Great Door, his consciousness had not 'died' in that sense. However, only the Summon Spirits and Centurions could hear his voice now as it intruded their minds.
"I don't," Richter replied flatly.
Ratatosk raised a questioning eyebrow. "Then why did you ask?"
"You're a Summon Spirit. You may be sensing something that I'm unable to…and if that's the case, it may be important. Is something happening?" The martyr asked.
"...I don't know, to be honest. I just...I feel something. Something...something isn't right," Ratatosk answered, letting out another heavy sigh through his nose. "I'm sure that even the Centurions feel it by now. I've been getting this feeling...ever since I created a new seal for the Great Door. But now...the feeling is so strong and comes to me so often that it distracts me entirely. Every fiber in my entire body and all the instincts I possess are trying to warn me...but of what, I don't know."
"I see. From my existence here, I haven't sensed anything amiss in Niflheim these past two years. It may be that whatever is occurring, it's occurring exclusively in Aselia."
"Possibly..."
"Hn. I had hoped that the end of our problems would come along with the end of our journey two years ago. I had hoped that the time of peace that Aselia would see would be much longer than this."
Ratatosk had nothing to say in response. Instead, his deep blood red eyes focused on the entrance of the Sealed Room, thinking carefully on the message his gut was trying to tell him.
"I had hoped that the end of our problems would come along with the end of our journey two years ago"...
Somewhere, in the depths of my gut...
I can feel something telling me, "No, that was nowhere near the end – that was only the end of the beginning."
XxXxXxX
"Augh! Damn you, Centurion!"
"Yes, yes, I know – I'm damned. Why do mortals constantly stop to curse their opponents? Can't the lot of you do any better than throw your powerless words at me? It won't help any, you know." An extremely handsome man who appeared to be twenty seven years of age sighed in boredom. "And for the record, my name isn't 'Centurion'. It's Yami. Nice to meet you, too."
Yami had short and wavy black hair, smooth white skin, and deep amethyst purple eyes. He wore a long white and sleeveless trench coat with the collar popped, a thin and tight black elbow-sleeved turtle neck that exposed his well-toned stomach, black fingerless gloves, fitting black pants with a white belt, a white buckle around his right forearm and left thigh, and white shoes.
"You are the left fragment of Centurion Gemini, Cyria's Protector, are you not? So then why do you block our path? Why will you not let us through to the Ginnungagap so that we may open the Niflheimian Gate? Why do you side with that goddamned woman and her vile attempts to bring about the destruction of our world? Why have you decided to assist her and betray the world that you were created to protect?!" A knight demanded angrily.
Yami's amethyst orbs flashed in rage and in the blink of an eye, the knight was dead.
"Tsk, tsk...you're quite pathetic, aren't you?" Yami smiled at the dead body. Just as quickly, it faded away into a serious expression. "I haven't abandoned Cyria – neither has my master. She despises the Aselians with a fiery passion. She isn't doing this for their sake. Unlike you cowards, she's decided to find her own way to save Cyria without sacrificing any other worlds or people – the right way. You have no right to speak ill of her, you disgusting vermin."
"You...you monster! How did you...I didn't even see you touch him...!" The other knights gasped.
"That's because I didn't touch him. He died of a heart attack because of the weakness of his own heart. No one but the supreme being has the right to judge people and declare this one to be 'right' or 'good' and that one to be 'wrong' or 'evil' because she symbolizes what is ultimately just. However, as Centurion Gemini, I do have the power to judge the intentions and strength or weakness of the hearts of people," Yami began to explain.
"Whether or not your intentions are pure or malicious, if you chase silly ambitions zealously without being one hundred percent supportive of them, if they aren't something you want so badly that you'd go through several sacrifices for it not because someone told you it's the best thing to do, but because you firmly believe it's the best thing to do, if you aren't willing to die for them because you know they're what's best for the world, then that only makes you weak. A weak person possesses a weak heart and a weak heart falls victim to its own weakness – just like that knight did.
"The way he spoke to me was unforgivable and blatantly disrespectful. For a mortal to think that he could justly judge the intentions and actions of a being much higher and much more abstract than himself...don't make me laugh. The way you mortals ignore the hypocrisy in your own words and fling them accusingly at others without bothering to look at the situation from any perspective other than your own...tch. Say what you will about me, but I will not tolerate any badmouthing of my master's good name.
"Resorting to such violent and crude measures...each and every one of you have fallen victim to the weakness in your hearts. If I so wished it, I could relief all of you of your weakness in the form of a heart attack at this very moment. If you'd like to live, leave this place...but if you'd much rather die, then by all means, follow your friend's example and see where it gets you."
"You...you wouldn't! You're the Centurion of our world! You're supposed to protect the people, not kill them!" Another knight cried.
"Yes, that is true. I don't like killing – it grieves me to do so. But I have no remorse whatsoever for those who so much as think about doing harm to my master," Yami replied. "I don't care about my duty. If I have to kill all of you in order to protect her...hmph, well...I'll just have to hope that Lady Symphonia forgives me."
Fearing their lives, the remaining knights scattered, running like cats with their tails between their legs.
Yami crossed his arms, pleased. "That was a very wise decision. You mortals, who aren't strong enough to overcome your own weaknesses, are no match for the likes of a true Centurion like myself."
"That may be so, but what about me? Am I any match for a 'true Centurion'?"
Yami turned around. "...Well, well. Look who it is. One of the top dogs himself came to pay me a visit. Should I feel honored?" The Centurion grinned, poising himself for battle. "Let's see if you've gotten any better since the last time we danced...pretty boy. You'd better come at me with all you've got...because I won't hold back this time."
"I'm sorry, Ariel...but it seems that I will only be able to buy you a little bit of time. Please...make the best of it. I swear that I will return to your side…I won't be the one to make you feel the same heartbreak of losing a companion for a fourth time."
XxXxXxX
"Lord Ratatosk, the situation is dire. We must disperse immediately."
Ratatosk doubled-back, giving the Centurion of Darkness an incredulous look. "...What the hell? Tenebrae? How did you awaken yourself from your core form? That should be impossible...I didn't summon you."
"Yes, my lord, I know you didn't – Lady Symphonia did. And she didn't just awaken me – she awoke all eight of the Centurions. Since I'm most loyal to you, however, she chose to release me from my core form so that I could warn you," Tenebrae explained.
"S...Symphonia woke you up?" Ratatosk blinked. How long had it been since he had last heard that name?
Too long.
Tenebrae nodded.
"I...I see...that must mean that...so then, the reason why I was getting those feelings in my gut...they were because of her. Those were her feelings trying to reach out and warn me..." Ratatosk trailed off, seeming to be in a trance, thinking hard about something. "...Tch. No one asked for her help or her protection. I don't need her, dammit. I can protect myself and my Centurions on my own."
"Lord Ratatosk, I understand the animosity between you and Lady Symphonia, but now is not the time for that. There isn't much time to explain, but she is in danger...the entire world is in danger. We must initiate the plan. We must execute the orders that Lady Symphonia gave us all those years ago," Tenebrae urged the Lord of All Monsters.
"...Do you really think the situation is that dire? Is Symphonia...is she certain? This isn't something to be played around with, after all. Once it begins...nothing can stop it but the Bearers of the Right. And even then...what happens to the four worlds solely depends on their endeavor and their truest desire – whether it be to save the worlds, or to destroy them," Ratatosk reminded Tenebrae.
"Yes, my lord. Lady Symphonia said that she was more certain about this than anything else she had ever been certain about before in her life. Even more certain...than the promise that she made to you on that faithful day," Tenebrae told Ratatosk, making the spirit's eyes widen in a moment of lost composure.
"Don't cry for me, my dear, sweet Ratatosk. Perhaps we had been too foolish to see that we were doomed from the very start. Looking back on it now, it's so clear…that even from the beginning of it all, you and I were destined for nothing but tragedy. For the sake of the worlds and everyone in them…I pray that this will be the last time that we ever glimpse upon each other's visage."
"...I...I see..." Was all that he could say in response.
A moment of silence fell between the Summon Spirit and the Centurion. "So, finally, after only goddess knows how many years...it's finally time. It's time…for the very worlds themselves to be judged…and possibly ripped asunder," Ratatosk thought as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He would follow Symphonia's whim – he had no other option.
"...How long do you intend to hide from me? I know you're there."
"Heh, well damn. I wanted to take you by surprise...but I suppose that isn't happening, huh?" Ariel walked out into Ratatosk's view slowly.
"Me? Be taken off guard by a mortal? Don't insult me. This room is sealed by a powerful magic that not even an elf could master in their lifetime, as long-lived as they are. Who the hell are you, and how did you get in here?" Ratatosk demanded without turning to face the intruder.
"I think you know the answer to that already – you knew even before you thought about asking. You can sense her core, can't you?" Ariel retorted.
"...Perhaps I should've asked a better question: how exactly did you manage to acquire that core?" Ratatosk inquired.
"My name is Ariel Irving. This core was given to me to protect by my sister, who risked her life to save it because she wanted there to be a peaceful future for all of the four worlds. For the sake of the four worlds existing in harmony and protecting what means most to me, I asketh thee – lend me thy strength. Summon Spirit Ratatosk...I ask that thou annulst thy former pact and establish a new one – with me. Please, I beg of thee...bestow thine power unto me."
Ratatosk sneered. "The last time I trusted mankind enough to form a pact, the pact maker misused my power, betrayed our pact, and extremely disappointed me. How do I know you will be any different? What makes you think I'll simply hand myself over to you? You may possess the right of the pact...but you do not possess my approval. You have not proven that you are worthy of a pact with me – not even the destruction of the four worlds themselves could change that."
"Is that so? Let me warn you, Ratatosk...if I must fight you, then I will. No one will prevent the initiation of the Judgment process, and no one will stand in the way of me speaking to Symphonia. While the Centurions can hear her voice, only you can speak with her." Ariel held out her hands.
A pair of long silver sais appeared out of thin air.
"Are you stupid? You aren't strong enough to take me on – you and I both know that. You aren't used to these mana levels – they will slow you down, tamper with your strength and greatly interfere with your fighting abilities until you get used to them. I think you know that, too. Are you trying to get killed, little girl?" Ratatosk glared.
"I'll make you eat those words, Summon Spirit! I'm no longer asking – I demand your power!" Ariel exclaimed before charging at Ratatosk.
"...Hm. So you honestly believe that you have a chance...what a fool. So be it, then. Since you obviously seem to be looking for someone to put you in an early grave...I'll be that someone," Ratatosk muttered without even poising himself for battle as Ariel charged at him head-on.
CLASH!
"You're so slow and weak compared to me...you do realize that I'm holding back on you to the point where it's almost painful, don't you? What do you hope to accomplish by doing this?" Ratatosk demanded fiercely.
"I've already told you – I hope to find a way for the four worlds to co-exist peacefully!" Ariel repeated herself with a fierceness that matched his.
"I can sense it – you come from that world...the one that this one relies on for survival. When the worlds were created, the order was naturally like that – not even Symphonia herself could change that."
"That doesn't mean it can't be changed! When there's a will, there's a way!"
"That's only a meaningless mortal saying – it doesn't prove anything, so what if there isn't a way? What if the only way for this world to continue to exist is at the cost of your world, and what if the only way for your world to find salvation is at the cost of this world – then what? Have you prepared yourself for the possibility that there may be no such thing as what you hope to find?"
"Then I'll have to try even harder to make a way! For oneworld to cease to exist so that another world may continue to exist...no matter how much I come to hate this world, no matter how tempting it may sound, no matter how much easier it may be to simply accept that...no matter what, so long as there's breath in my body, I will never believe that to be okay – not even if the goddess herself were to say so!"
"For the sake of the four worlds and everyone in them…I pray that this will be the last time that we ever glimpse upon each other's visage."
Ratatosk felt rage surge through him as he overpowered Ariel, knocking her down and sending her sais flying. The Summon Spirit had his blade pressed against the Bearer's neck threateningly before she could even think of retaliating.
"...You fool. 'I will never believe that to be okay – not even if the goddess herself were to say so'...what exactly do you mean by that? Whoever said that the way things are is 'okay'? Don't you think Symphonia knew it wasn't okay?" Ratatosk looked down at Ariel with scornful eyes that flickered with nothing but the contempt that he held not exclusively for her, but for all of her kind – for all mortals.
"Don't make it sound as if Symphonia wanted a twisted system of worlds like this. She, who loved and cherished every single living being equallyand unconditionally, who always put you creatures before herself, who sacrificed herself so selflessly...she never desired for the worlds to be like this. There was simply no way around it. That's why she's suffering in Niflheim right now. That's why she exhausts herself to keep your world in existence. That's why she blessed the Bearers of the Right.
"Everything she's done, she did it all for you creatures – never once did she ever do anything for herself. And yet, even after how hard she tried...after how much pain she endured...after how much she sacrificed for you ungrateful beings... You still have the nerve to say things like 'the way things are is not okay'? As if Symphonia didn't know that? As if it's her fault things are the way they are? How dare you, when you don't know anything...when this all happened far before your time, what right do you have to judge her and her ambitions?!
"You don't know what Symphonia went through...you don't understand what she gave up, what she sacrificed! She did separate the world into four, but she never wanted to separate them like this. What makes you think you're any better than her? What makes you think your ideals are any more just than the ones she envisioned? What makes you think that a half-breed like you...could accomplish what even the goddess herself could not?
"Symphonia put herself through eternal damnation for the sake of the four worlds – what the hell could you possibly do for them? What do you have to offer them that Symphonia hasn't already? You don't love the worlds the way she had – you're not ready to die for them without leaving behind a single regret the way she did!"
Suddenly, the ground began to shake violently. "Lord Ratatosk, I sense multiple persons approaching the sealed door. There are creatures on the other side trying to force it open," Tenebrae reported over the loud rumbling.
"Damn! It's the Cyrian Knights!" Ariel cursed loudly.
"...Hmph. I don't have time to deal with you right now, so it looks like your life has been spared…for now." Ratatosk sheathed his sword and turned away from the brunette, regaining his composure.
"Come hither, my Centurions. Submit thine selves and gatherest before me in thine weakest state." The Lord of All Monsters summoned his servants as he walked up to the Great Door.
Almost immediately, the Centurion cores rose from their places on the Great Door and surrounded Ratatosk's form in a circle. Reverting to his core form, Tenebrae also approached the Summon Spirit, joining his brothers and sisters. Ariel's eyes widened in surprise as the white orb around her neck began to glow brightly.
Slowly, the Door to Niflheim began to open. "Ratatosk? What the hell are you doing? Why are you opening the Great Door? What's going on?" Richter demanded. Ignoring him, Ratatosk closed his eyes and held up his arms, continuing to open the door.
"Ratatosk... Ratatosk, what are you doing?!" Ariel rushed to the Summon Spirit's side. Unfazed, Ratatosk began to chant an incantation.
"Mother of All Beings...Creator of All Things...the One and Only True Goddess...awaken from thy holy slumber for I summon thee – Symphonia!"
The red light of Niflheim began to glow brightly, completely spilling into the room. Ariel could barely breathe – the power of a higher being much greater than any she had ever encountered before was washing over her. Its presence was neither intimidating nor threatening; it was warm, loving, and gentle. Faintly, in her mind, she could hear the feminine voice of the divine creature.
"Lord Ratatosk? Is that you? Are you the one who has summoned me from the depths of my slumber, from my damnation in the very core of Niflheim?"
"...Yes, Symphonia. It's me." Ratatosk nodded quietly.
"So then, Sir Tenebrae was able to warn you...that pleases me greatly. If not for the circumstances, I would be filled with happiness right now. How long has it been since I have so much as heard your voice, Young Spiritling...ten thousand years?" The goddess asked.
Ratatosk shook his head, "No, Symphonia. It has been much longer – it has been one hundred thousandyears. I am no longer young. I am no longer a Spiritling."
"I see...even with how much time that has passed...I am sure that somewhere in your heart...you have not come around to forgiving me, have you, my dear, sweet Ratatosk?"
"...Now is not the time for that. Now, I've awoken you to initiate the Judgment process."
"...Yes, you are right. The Bearers of the Right...I sense that there are three left in all of the outer worlds. Has the Holy Bloodline truly thinned this badly and become so slim...? Either way, allow me to speak with this particular Bearer."
Ariel stepped forward just before lowering herself to her knees, bowing respectfully. "Goddess Symphonia... my name is Ariel Irving. I have come to be judged, Your Holiness."
"Rise to your feet, young child. The only reason we can hear one another now is because Ratatosk is manipulating the Great Door and using it as a communication center – this will be the first and last time I speak to you before you are judged, so I wish to do it properly. You are but a newborn child... are you sure that this is something that you truly desire to do?" Symphonia asked the young woman.
Ariel nodded. "Yes, milady. There are those who wish for the destruction of this world...if I do not step up and use this blessing that I was born with, my own ideals will never come to be. I dream of creating a universe where no world has to sacrifice another, where no people must be discriminated by another...I dream of creating a universe where the four worlds and all of its people may co-exist in peace and harmony."
"I see. Are you prepared to fight for that dream, then? It will not be easy, Young One."
"I understand. I fully accept whatever will be thrown at me. This is a path that I have chosen for myself...no matter the consequences. I will bear every hardship that comes my way and find a way around every obstacle that blocks my path – I will do it for the sake of the worlds."
"Understood. I will trust you to be worthy of a pact – do not disappoint me. Return to me once you have formed a pact with the Centurions and Ratatosk and obtain their Elemental Crystals. I will be waiting for both you and your Guardian Knight."
"My...Guardian Knight?"
"Yes. Once this process begins, your hearts and intertwined paths will bring you together. You will be joined by fate and by the roles that have been thrust upon both of you are your destinies. For the sake of the will of your goddess, I ask that you both embrace them."
"If the Judgment process is initiated, what will become of Richter? I promised him that I would release him once the world's natural law was rewritten, but now...because of the Judgment process, I'm not sure what should be done." Ratatosk interrupted.
"Yes. He has suffered long enough these past two years, acting as a human sacrifice and burning his body's mana. Niflheim will become far too dangerous for him now because of the Judgment process – if he remains here, he may lose his consciousness and truly die. That is why I will release him. You need not worry about him," Symphonia answered.
"If that is done, what will become of the Great Door?"
"I am awake now, Ratatosk. I am more than capable of holding this door. But that means that I will no longer be able to protect Cyria - I must use my power to close this door and keep it close until a Bearer undergoes Judgment."
"Cyria..." Ariel whispered, clenching her fists. Another earthquake shook the ground, this one more powerful than the last.
"Are you ready? Symphonia's going to initiate the Judgment process – that means that all of us will be dispersed at random. There's no way of knowing where we will end up...there's no way of knowing what will be waiting for us. Are you prepared for that?" Ratatosk inquired without looking in the young woman's direction.
"I think that if one more person asks me if I'm ready one more time, just once more, I'll die of boredom from all this waiting. I'm ready to get this show on the road." Ariel grinned.
"Foolish mortal. To be able to joke about it so lightly...you really have no idea what's awaiting you, do you?" Ratatosk closed his eyes and sighed.
"There's only one way to find out," the Bearer replied, wrapping her hand around Symphonia's core, as if to ask the goddess to lend her some of her strength.
"You must go now. Bearer of the Right, young Ariel Irving...the fate of the four worlds rests entirely upon your shoulders. I place my faith in you."
Another earthquake ripped through the ground, causing the entire room to shake. The room itself was threatening to collapse. The bright lights from Niflheim and the nine cores grew brighter and brighter until the room was filled with a blinding light. Unable to see, Ariel felt as though the room was spinning and twisting abnormally. A loud and almost painfully high-pitched sound pierced the air. The chaos was too much for the Bearer of the Right to handle.
And then, all of a sudden...
Everything faded away into nothing.
Me: That's all for chapter one! I hoped everyone liked it!
Richter: Why do I get the feeling that this is the start of a lengthy story...?
Me: ;) Read and review, please!