I know what you're thinking. As soon as you read the summary of this fanfic, you were probably thinking something along the lines of, "Oh great, another lame self insertion. I bet this author not only has unrealistic combat skills, but they're going to pair themselves up with one of the game characters. They might even make themselves an angel." Don't lie. I know that's what were thinking and, to be honest, I sometimes think that too. It's a totally justified assumption seeing as most ToS self-insertions follow this pattern.

However, just because most of the SI fics are terrible, doesn't mean that writing a fic about what would happen if you got sucked into Tales of Symphonia is bad. Okay, so I can only think of one example of a good ToS self-insertion (Two Worlds Combined by Venus Tenshi is absolutely amazing), but even so, it proves that it can be done and I'm going to try it!

First, let me assure you of something. Whatever happens, I'm not going to become a Mary Sue. I'm going to try to make this SI as realistic as possible. In real life, I have never used weapons like swords, I can't use magic, I can't do any kind of martial arts, and I certainly don't sprout wings. I am a very intelligent person in real life so I will be able to outsmart many, but not all, of the game characters. However, I also have severe ADD, which will hopefully make this story a lot more interesting.

Also, even though this is a self-insertion, I'm going to alter myself just a little bit. Nothing major though, and nothing that would make me a Mary Sue. Basically it's just my name, where on Earth I live, and other things that you probably wouldn't even think was altered unless you knew me personally. Most of the changes I make are simply done because I don't want everyone to know who I am in real life.

But that's enough author's notes for now. Let the game begin.

I don't own the rights to Tales of Symphonia.

Prologue: A State of Shock

At first I couldn't do anything. My thoughts were barely coherent. My entire body was numb so I couldn't move, and when I opened my eyes, all I could see was white.

So I made the only conclusion that seemed logical at the time. I was dead.

To be honest, I was always scared of dying. Not because I wouldn't be able to live anymore but because death is an unknown. Knowing about stuff is the one thing that makes me truly happy so whenever I came across something that I knew I could never figure out, I either hated it, feared it, or both.

However, now that I was dead, I figured that it wasn't so bad. I had always figured that it would be a lot more painful and less dull. I also figured that it would be less lonely. I mean, how could I be the only one in the afterlife? Shouldn't there be other dead people here? At the very least there could be some disembodied voices!

"Is she going to be okay, Professor?"

There we go.

"Her body has gone into shock," said a woman's voice. "As long as we don't move her and keep her warm, she should be alright."

This was strange. I guess some girl had seen me die and had gone into shock.

"What's so bad about being shocked?" asked the cheery voice that had spoken first.

"Not shock as in surprise. Shock is a reaction where the body freezes up because of a sudden, abrupt change in the body. It is usually triggered by something like an injury or intoxication, but it can also be triggered by more unusual things like a sudden change in temper—Kratos! What do you think you're doing?! You have no right to go through this girl's belongings!"

Kratos… The name sounded familiar but my mind was still too dazed to remember where I heard that name before.

"I am merely trying to find some sort of identification or something that will tell us who this girl is," said a new voice who I guessed was Kratos. "Here we are."

"What did you find?" asked the cheery voice.

"It appears to be some kind of identification card."

"Does it tell who she is?"

"Her name is Elizabeth Wryde."

My mind came back into focus when I heard that. I suddenly realized it was me these people were talking about. I hadn't died at all; I had just gone into shock. That certainty explained why I only saw white. They must have put some sort of blanket over me to reduce stimuli. It also explained why my body was so numb and why I felt so cold. The only thing it didn't explain was who these people were.

"Strange," said the woman's voice. "I've never seen any kind of ID like this before. Nor have I heard of a place called Green Valley."

Cheery Voice became worried. "Do you think she's a Desian?"

"I doubt it," assured the woman's voice. "First of all, she isn't a half-elf and second of all, she is dressed nothing like a Desian would be."

Desian? Half-elves? I took a sharp breath as I remembered where I had heard those terms before.

"Still, we cannot be too careful. She could have been sent to spy on the chosen."

I pulled part of the sheet off me and sat up to see a woman with white hair, a man in purple with messy auburn hair, and a girl with long blond hair who wore a white outfit. AKA Raine Sage, Kratos Aurion, and Colette Brunel.

"Oh my God…" I gasped. They all turned to look at me.

"Oh good! You've finally woken up!" Colette said happily.

"No," I replied slowly. "I don't think I have."

Not bad for a prologue, huh? Every other self-insertion I've read start with the author getting sucked into the Symphonia, so I figured I'd start after I had already been transported there. I know that so far it sounds like all the other self-insertions, but trust me, it will get better. If there's one thing I'm good at, it's taking a clichéd fanfic idea, and turning it into something worth reading. That being said, I beg you to at least read the next chapter before passing too harsh a judgment on this SI. If you still think it's absolutely terrible after that, you can flame me all you want.