Summary: What would happen if one world served as a link to intertwine the worlds of Symphonia, Legendia, Abyss, Phantasia, and Destiny? ...Neil Pierson always wanted something more out of life. He got that the day he met Ara Yule. The two embark on a journey and discover that the line between good and evil, the living and dead, and one world and the next isn't as thick as it appears.
Author's Notes: This story follows characters that I made up, in a world that I also made up. But if you're in the majority that isn't into OCs, don't run away just yet! My made-up characters eventually go to the worlds of Tales of Symphonia, Phantasia, Destiny, Legendia, and Abyss---each taking place two years after the end of each game, and eventually all the original tales characters unite in the made-up world. You see, I wanted to find a way to combine my favorite tales games into one fanfic, and this seemed like the best way (it's kind of like Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology, except the story is much more in-depth and there are more OCs).
Since this is going to be a long fanfic, and it might be awhile before my OCs get to the first tales world (Tales of Symphonia---that's why I placed this fic under that category), I'm working on a series of oneshots that focus on actual tales characters. So hopefully you can enjoy those and get a feel for how I portray the actual tales characters until I get to the part with them in this fanfic. In addition to this, you'll probably notice that a lot of things in this fic are similar to things that happen in the tales games---that's because I took different aspects from each tales game and put them in this fic (though there is still a lot of completely original stuff). You might pick up on some in this chapter...and you'll definately pick up on others as the story progresses.
Sorry if these first few chapters are confusing and cliche---that's what I was aiming for. But I promise that it gets better later on! As far as pairings go, just mail me and ask me if specific pairings are in it. I don't feel like listing them all because there's so many. XD You can also mail me if you want to ask me something about the fic. This is the first fanfic that I'm actually "publishing", so I hope you enjoy it. Please review and tell me what you think so that I can improve! If you don't like something, don't be mean. Just tell me what I need to improve on, and I'll work on it---I promise! Finally, I'm sorry for giving such a long "summary". XD Kudos to you if you actually read it all! I promise that the upcoming chapter summaries/author's notes won't be as nearly as long (probably only a few sentences).
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the tales characters, or any names associated with any of the tales games.
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The cold, unforgiving snow fell to the ground. It wasn't falling hard, just slowly and quietly as if it were Mother Nature's frozen tears. Something had happened---something that could never be undone. A small child stood quietly in front of a grave. Her whole body was wrapped in black cloth; only her eyes were visible. Those big, sea blue eyes were filled with both sadness and anger, but the girl did not shed a tear. She simply stood there, staring at the grave and the twin blades that lay on it.
The moon shone down onto the very same grave. A girl, about the age of twelve, leaned down and picked up the two swords that lay there. She placed them both in sheaths strapped to her back, then stood up and began to walk away. Suddenly, she stopped, and placed her hand over a golden locket tied to her belt. She quickly grabbed the locket and tossed it into the air. She caught it as it came back down and then took one last look at the grave; her lips curved into a smile. Seconds later, she began to run away as fast as she could, never once looking over her shoulder.
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Everything was black. Then, out of nowhere, came a menacing beast. It was black with a scarlet-colored mane and glowing red eyes. It resembled a lion, though it was much too grotesque to be such a noble beast. It let out an eerie roar; then charged at full speed after the girl, who was now much older. After more roaring, it spoke. "Ara!" It growled in such a disturbing voice that it could make even the bravest man's blood run cold. "Ara! Araaaaaaaa! Araaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" It had now caught up to the girl, and it attempted to slash her with its huge claws. She managed to dodge the attacks, but fell down in the process. She panted as she frantically searched for an escape amidst the dark abyss, but found none. Then the creature lunged toward her and let out a final, chilling roar.
"Ara! Ara!" a small voice called from the darkness. "Ara! C'mon! Wake up already! Hurry!" The girl quickly opened her eyes. She breathed heavily as she pushed the ground and lifted her upper half. "Ara! Ara!" the voice chirped. However, the girl did not respond. She simply sat up and stared into space, panting. "Ara!"
"Only a dream."
"Ara!"
"…Only a dream."
Suddenly, the girl seemed to snap out of her trance. She let out a sigh of relief, then proceeded to stand. "What was it you wanted, Drycko?"
"Finally you say something!" responded the voice, as its keeper revealed itself. It was a small dragon-like creature with red skin, happy yellow eyes, and violet-colored markings all over its petite body. "Jeez, Ara! I thought you were about to sleep walk again or something!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. But why the hell did you wake me!?"
"Oh, that? Just take a look around."
Ara did as Drycko commanded and saw things that she had been completely oblivious to before. Many pairs of glowing, golden eyes watched the two from a distance---they appeared to be waiting for the perfect chance to pounce.
"We're surrounded," the dragon stated before Ara had a chance to comment.
"Uh…yeah. I can see that," Ara responded in a sarcastic voice. She shook her head and shrugged. "So there's a few galfs---big deal. You couldn't take them alone?"
"Of course not! I'm only a dragite, after all! We're pacifists by nature! You know that!"
"Oh. Yeah…" Ara said nonchalantly. "Well, you can help me if you wanna---it'd be good practice---but you probably won't have the time." She picked her twin blades off of the ground and pushed her golden hair from her eyes. "I'll make short work of these losers." She smiled, then approached the beasts slowly. The biggest one snarled as it leapt fiercely in her direction. The girl calmly executed a single, horizontal slash as the galf got near. Her sword gashed the stomach of the monster as it was in the air and blood squirted everywhere. The beast landed on the ground with a thud and remained motionless. Another galf cautiously sniffed the body of its fallen comrade. When it saw no signs of life, it let out a loud, depressing howl. The other galfs surrounded Ara and growled threateningly. The cocky girl simply chuckled. Suddenly, the beasts charged in unison. Ara brought her twin blades in front of her; then whipped each one around her in a one hundred and eighty-degree turn. In an instant all of the galfs were on the ground, blood pouring from their wounds.
"A-Ara!" Drycko yelled desperately. The galf that had been previously sniffing its comrade's corpse was now in the air, about to tackle the female swordsman. She swiftly turned around and slashed the sword in her left hand in one motion. "Demon fang!" she exclaimed, as a blue shockwave came from the center of the blade and hit the enemy head-on. The blast sent the beast flying backwards. It whimpered as it skidded across the ground, then finally stopped as its head collided with a rock. Ara stared at the fallen beast for a moment and then sheathed her swords when she was positive that it was dead. "Well, that was a fun little scrimmage," the blonde stated in satisfaction. "Now I'm wide awake!"
"Wow, Ara!" the awestruck dragite exclaimed. "That's gotta be a record!"
"Heh. I know," Ara replied, showing no qualms of her arrogance.
The energetic little dragon simply giggled. "Well, I think I'm gonna go to bed now. Hopefully those galfs were the only monsters around."
"G'Night! …And I wouldn't worry about the monsters. If there were others, they probably fled after seeing what I did to those galfs. Besides, I think I'll stay up…at least, for a little longer."
"Are you nervous? Ya know…about what you gotta do?"
The girl chuckled. "Nah. It's just that the fight woke me up, is all." She was silent for a moment, but then continued. "If anything…I'm excited."
Drycko smiled. "Kay! Whatever you say!" He slowly flew over to a peach-colored cloth sack on the ground and curled up in it.
Ara closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. A few seconds later, she exhaled and opened her eyes. She proceeded to slowly walk away from the little campsite, and continued on for about ten minutes. She stopped when she saw a gigantic city in the distance; it was glowing brightly, despite the fact that it was the middle of the night. Ara watched it for awhile, then pulled something out of the tiny pouch tied to her belt. It was a piece of gold that fit in the palm of her hand. However, it wasn't an ordinary piece of gold. It had many different-shaped indents on its sides---as if it were a puzzle piece---and in the center of it was a reddish stone. She stared at the garnet stone embedded within, and then looked back up toward the city. "Tomorrow," she said, solemnly.
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"After Zephyr, Yamoore, and Gene obtained all thirteen gems, they headed for Concord…" rang a women's voice.
A young man stared out of the classroom window, seemingly uninterested in this lecture that he had heard time and time again. He ran his fingers through his messy, chestnut hair and quietly sighed. (Happy birthday to me) he thought, unenthusiastically. (Congratulations, Neil. You're nineteen. Just one more year until you're an official adult. Then you become a doctor, have a family, and eventually retire---then what? Die? There has got to be something more…something I'm missing.)
"Neil!" the women yelled. The boy didn't respond, so she repeated herself, this time with more volume. "Neil Pierson!" His hazel eyes quickly turned in the direction of the voice; his head followed. "Neil!" she barked. "Were you daydreaming again!?"
Neil's reply was to look sheepishly down at his desk; small giggles could be heard from around the classroom.
"I see. What has gotten into you lately, anyway!?"
The dreamer's eyes moved from the desk back up to the teacher and caught her entire figure. Today, she was wearing a tan uniform with golden buttons that ran all the way up the center and her brown hair was pulled back in a tight bun---he hadn't really noticed before, even though he had been sitting in class for nearly an hour already. "I-I'm sorry…" he said, almost in a whisper.
"Hmph!" the teacher snorted as she pushed her small, square-framed glasses up on her face. Her emerald-green eyes glared at her apologetic student from behind the frames. "This time, pay attention," she warned. Then she cleared her throat and continued. "Yamoore betrayed Zephyr and Gene, and the trio wound up in a fight to the death. In the midst of the fight, Gene escaped while Zephyr held off Yamoore. You see, Gene knew that he had to return the thirteen gems to their rightful place…before it was too late. However, in doing so...he gave up his soul…"
(I don't want to be stuck in Flambeau for my entire life! I want freedom---an adventure. Up till now, my life's been pretty boring…well, except for when my dad was killed on the battlefield when I was a kid. …Then, three years ago…when my mom…) Suddenly, Neil noticed that the teacher's angry eyes were on him once again.
"A-hem! As I was saying, Zephyr survived the battle with Yamoore…though she was gravely injured. She used the last of her strength to join up with Gene, but soon found that he had given up his soul in order to activate the power of the thirteen gems. She used the power that he sacrificed himself for to stop the war and forever separate the humans and beastites. Afterwards, it is said that she died from the wounds that she obtained in the battle with Yamoore…however, her love for this world---along with the power of the gems---transformed her into the Goddess. Now she watches over and protects our beloved city, Flambeau, as well as the entire world." The teacher paused for a moment and closed her eyes---as if she were meditating---and then decided to conclude her lecture. "Anyway, your quiz on the Human-Beastite War will be tomorrow." At that moment, a high-pitched sound rang from outside of the classroom. "Ah. Perfect timing," the teacher mused. As the students piled out of the room, she exclaimed, "Remember to study!" She noticed Neil at the back of the crowd and tapped him on the shoulder. "Neil."
He quickly turned around. "Yes?"
"Is…" she hesitated. "Is anything wrong?"
Neil's pupils widened slightly. "No," he said, cautiously. "Why do you ask?"
"It's just all this daydreaming. You're one of my best students, but lately you haven't seemed to put much effort into your schoolwork."
"I know. I'm sorry…really," he said flatly, looking to the ground. "It's just…well…my nineteenth birthday has made me reconsider some things. It's made me think about what I'm seriously going to do with my life…and other stuff like that."
The teacher smiled slightly and placed her hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "Is that it?" she chuckled. "I thought that you were just sick of me or something---sorry for sounding so harsh these past few days. Anyway, listen…everyone feels like that at times---especially during their teenage years. Maybe you need a vacation? It would give you time to both relax and think things through."
Neil looked up at the woman; his mouth formed a smile, but his eyes were still thoughtful. "Hmm… maybe that is what I need. Thanks, Ms. Arquette."
"You're very welcome."
"Well… I should be going now. I really have to study for that test." The boy chuckled. "Bye!" He waved as he walked out of the door.
"See you tomorrow, Neil!" Ms. Arquette called. "And seriously…you should consider that vacation!"
Neil casually walked in the direction of his home on a long, narrow side street. Even though it was simply a side street, it was given extra light by the tall lampposts that lined it on each side. (A vacation…) Neil pondered, (...wouldn't help. I'm sure. It's not that I need to get away for awhile...more like, a long while. A long, long while. And I want to see the world, not just one place. And...and...it's not like I want to do this solely for me! I still want to be a doctor. I just think that I could help more people if I could be a traveling doctor…something like that.)
"Watch out!" called a girl's voice from behind him. He turned to see who was there, but before he had a chance to react, he was on the ground. He blinked a few times in shock, and finally realized that a strange, blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl was on top of him. He blushed---naturally---as he hadn't had too many close encounters with the opposite sex.
"Urgh! Idiot!" the girl hissed. "I told you to watch out!"
"I-I-I'm sorry!" Neil managed to choke out. He was about to continue, but was cut off as he saw the reason behind the girl's hastiness. Two men in white uniforms barreled down the alleyway toward him and the girl.
"Ahaha! There she is!" one of the men exclaimed, triumphantly.
The girl jumped up, but surprisingly, didn't run. "Not so fast!" she warned, as she drew a sword from a sheath tied to her back using her left hand. The men both stopped abruptly. Suddenly, the blonde reached down and pulled Neil up by his pearl-white shirt collar; then she held her sword up to his neck---a strange device on her wrist was flashing red, but she didn't seem to notice. "Touch me, and an innocent civilian will die."
Neil swallowed hard. (I can't die here! Not now!) he thought, as sweat began to drip down his face.
The two men in white frowned. "Why you!" one cried.
"Let's call for backup," suggested the other one, as he pulled a silver device out of his pocket and held it up to his ear.
The girl looked at the two men and smirked; then she looked back to Neil and realized that the device on her wrist was flashing. The smirk on her face transformed into a look of surprise, and she stood completely still for a moment. "Well...that was lucky." She blinked and then began to grin. "Alright! It's like killing two birds with one stone! Heheh! This sure has turned out to be one hell of a day!" She leaned over to Neil. "You are coming with me," she whispered. She moved the sword away from his neck and then lifted it into the air. "Demon fang!" she exclaimed, as a blue shockwave came from her sword and headed for the two men. She was running---pulling Neil behind her---before the attack even hit.
Neil stared back at them with wide eyes. "What have I gotten myself into!? I knew I should've taken the main road!"
The mysterious girl simply chuckled as she pulled Neil through what seemed to be an endless maze of side streets and alleyways. Finally, one of the city's many exits came into view and the girl picked up her speed. As the duo passed the final alleyway, a young man took a step away from the wall and watched them. He had small, dark eyes and long, dark hair that was loosely pulled back. However, it was hard to notice any of his features in detail---a black cloak covered his body and part of his head. He glanced down at a device---similar to the girl's---that was strapped around his wrist and smirked. "So he's the one. This should prove to be very, very interesting."