My first Tales of fanfic posted online, hooray! Even though this is an AschXOC fic, I'm not one of those hardcore Asch fangirls (not saying that they're bad...) and I will try to keep him in-character to the best of my abilities.
Huge thanks to my beta reader IHaveNoIdea8 (who's Tales of the Abyss fanfic you should really check out if you haven't already). Thank you so much!
Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of the Abyss, its characters or locations. That belongs to Namco. I also do not own Karma, which belongs to Bump of Chicken. I only own my OCs.
Prologue: Everything Stolen From You
Night had fallen upon Auldrant. Not a soul was stirring in the countries of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear and Malkuth.
Except by the forest by the border near Coral Castle and the Kaitzur Naval Port. A young male, who looked no older than ten, was running for dear life; a group of wolves was on his tail. His short red hair flew behind him as he ran, along with an olive green cape. He wore a navy blue shirt with long sleeves and a white line up the middle, white shorts, and white and black shoes. He was also holding a black sword with yellow markings. He turned around and swung his sword at one of the wolves, cutting it in half. Jumping into the air, he drove his sword down the middle of the second wolf and once he landed, he swung his sword and cleaved through the third one. Bringing his sword to his right side, he panted.
'I have no home to return to… Yet why am I here…?' The male thought to himself. He carefully started moving through the forest, until he heard what sounded like a young girl crying. Curious by the sound, he started heading toward it. Moving brushes aside, he found a girl that looked to be about his age. She had almost waist-length hair that was silver-white hair near the bottom half and lavender-purple hair at the top. Her face was buried in her hands, which had black fingerless gloves and a long light purple shirt. She also wore white jeans, light purple boots and beside her is what looked like a staff.
"Um… are you alright?" The male asked, cautiously extending a hand to place on the girl's right shoulder.
"Leave me alone!" the girl yelled. The male jerked his hand back after the girl's statement.
"Please… why are you-"
"Go away!"
The male knelt down beside her. "I want to know what's wrong. What's your name?"
"I don't have one." The girl spat.
"What do you mean?" The male questioned.
"It was stolen from me… by her! Damn it! Damn Balfour, damn fomicry, and damn him!" The girl roared.
"Please, tell me what happened." The male insisted. The girl removed her hands from her face, which revealed her light purple eyes.
"I… was kidnapped and taken to Coral Castle. Then I was placed in a machine and couldn't move. I felt a lot of pain and I heard two men mention a 'fake' me. They took me away as the Kimlascan army came to the castle. I ran away and headed back to Baticul. When I got to the city, I headed to the manor, but they wouldn't let me in. I snuck into the manor and saw my parents with the fake me. When I saw that, I ran out of Baticul, caught the next ship to Malkuth and ran here." The girl explained. The male looked at her, with sympathy in his green eyes.
"The… the same thing happened to me. I'm heading to Daath soon. Would go like to come with me?" He offered. The girl looked at him.
"A-Are you sure?" She asked. The male nodded. She then smiled, grabbed her staff and the two stood up and headed towards the Naval Port.
"By the way… What's your name?" The girl asked.
"…Asch. The leftover ashes of the scared flame." He answered.
By the time the two of them reached the Naval Port, day had broken. They walked over to the boarding area and went up to a Kimlascan solider.
"Excuse us, sir, but do you know when the next ferry to Daath will be leaving?" Asch asked.
"In a few minutes. If you board now, you can make it." The solider replied. The two nodded and ran to board the ship.
Once inside the cabin, the two each took the bottom bunk of the two bunk beds and fell soundly asleep.
The girl was the first of the two to wake up. Asch was still asleep, and so the girl wrote a note for Asch telling of her whereabouts and left the cabin.
Heading up to the deck, she walked over to the railing and rested her arms on it.
'I can't believe that Asch and I both had everything stolen from us… But, why?' She thought. Shaking those thoughts away, she began to sing a song.
"Garasudama hitotsu otosareta,
Oikakete mou hitotsu okko chita,
Hitotsu fun no hidamari ni hitotsu dake nokotteru,
Shinzou ga hajimatta toki,
Iyade mo hito wa basho wo toru,
Ubaware nai you ni mamori tsuduketeru,
Yogosazu ni tamotte kita te demo,
Yogorete mieta,
Kioku wo utagau mae ni kioku ni utagawareteru,
Kanarazu bokura wa deau darou,
Onaji kodou no oto wo mejirushi ni shite,
Koko ni iru yo itsudatte yonderu kara,
Kutabireta riyuu ga kasanatte yureru toki,
Umarta imi wo shiru," she sang. At that time, Asch had woken up to the sound of the girl's singing. He headed out of the cabin and onto the deck.
"Sonzai ga tsuduku kagiri,
Shikata nai kara basho wo toru,
Hitotsu fun no hidamari ni,
Futatsu wa chotto ire nai,
Garasudama hitotsu otosareta,
Ochita toki nanika hajiki dashita,
Ubai totta basho de hikari wo abita,
Kazoeta ashiato nado,
Kidukeba suuji deshika nai,
Shira nakya ike nai koto wa,
Douyara ichi to zero no aida,
Hajimete bokura wa deau darou,
Onaji himei no hata wo mejirushi ni shite,
Wasure naide itsudatte yonderu kara,
Kasaneta riyuu wo futari de umeru toki,
Yakusoku ga kawasareru," she continued. Asch had moved out to the deck and stood a few feet behind the girl.
"Kagami nanda bokura tagai ni,
Sorezore no karuma wo utsusu tame no,
Yogoreta te to te de furi atte,
Katachi ga wakaru,
Koko ni iru yo tashikani sawareru yo,
Hitoribun no hidamari ni bokura wa iru,
Wasure naide itsudatte yonderu kara,
Onaji garasudama no uchigawa no hou kara,
Sousa kanarazu bokura wa deau darou,
Shizumeta riyuu ni juu ji ka wo tateru toki,
Yakusoku wa hatasareru,
Bokura wa hitotsu ni naru~" she finished. Turning around, she saw Asch and smiled.
"Were you there… the whole time I was singing?" She asked. Asch shook his head.
"Not for the first part of the song, but for the rest of it," Asch said, "Where did you learn that song? It's not in the Fonic Language…" The girl placed her hands up by her chest.
"…My mother taught it to me. It's called 'Karma'." The girl answered. Suddenly, the ferry's horns when off.
"I guess we're at Daath…" The girl said.
"Yeah…" Asch replied. The duo headed back to the cabin to grab their weapons. Heading off the boat and into the port, the duo ran out of the port and onto the road to Daath. They did come across a few monsters, but with Asch's sword skills and the girl's fonic artes, the monsters posed little threat to them.
Daath was a huge city with a cathedral in the back of it, with several small monuments and small markets that sold food, equipment, supplies and medicine. Asch and the girl headed past the shops towards the cathedral. The two knights in front of the cathedral moved their weapons blocking the entrance to the cathedral.
"State your name and business here." One of the knights requested.
"We are here to see Dorian General Van Grants." Asch stated. The knights moved their weapons away.
"You two may pass." The other knight replied. The girl and Asch headed into the cathedral, with Asch leading the way to Van's office. Asch knocked on the door once the two were outside the door.
"Van, open up. I'm here about that proposal you told me about." Asch explained.
"…Come in." was Van's reply from behind the door. Asch opened the door and the two stepped in.
Van sat at his desk. He was a tall man with ash-brown hair pulled back into a spiky ponytail, blue eyes, tanned skin, long, bushy eyebrows, and a pointed beard at the end of his chin. He wore a white uniform with grey sleeves and orange markings that formed two heart-like symbols on the center of his chest, along with a high black, spiky neck-collar. He stood up when the duo entered, the sheath for his sword was on his left hip. Van seemed to be surprised to see Asch standing in front of him.
"Asch… so have you decided to take up my offer?" Van asked. Asch opened his mouth to speak but the girl spoke up first.
"It's you… The one who was responsible for having all this happen to me…!" She growled. Van looked confused.
"What do you mean…?" He questioned.
"You know what I mean. Cecille fon Fabre! You took everything away from me!" She roared. Van and Asch both stared at her. Van was shocked to see the very girl that he made a copy of, but Asch was mostly shocked to hear his former family name.
"You're… A Fabre?" Asch started. The girl sighed.
"Yes. Only the Duke, Lady, the servants, the King and Van knew that I was not of Royal blood. My family came to Baticul while we were traveling around Auldrant. Kimlascan soldiers attacked and killed my parents because they tried several times to kill the King. Duke Fabre found me and took me into their family. I was raised away from the rest of the family. They only took me in for the Score. It said that they would have a son and daughter, but the daughter would not be of Royal Blood." The girl explained.
"The Score is why I kidnapped you and took you to Coral Castle. To blame Malkuth for what happened." Van sighed.
"Huh?!"
"You know what the Score holds for you in the future." Van said.
"…N.D 2018. The young Scion of Lorelei's power shall bring his people to the miner's city. There, the youth will turn power to calamity and be as weapon to Kimlasca, destroying himself and the city. So … if you didn't kidnap me then…" She trailed off.
"Then yes. You would die, in seven years in accordance with the Score." Van answered.
"No way…" the girl stated. Van turned to Asch.
"Now, do accept my deal?" Van asked.
"What deal?" The girl questioned.
"Asch said one day that he wanted to runaway here to join the Oracle Knights. My deal still stands. Will you join me Asch? I'll allow the girl to join too, if she wants to." Van explained.
"…Yes. That dreck known as 'Luke' stole everything from me. This is all I have." Asch answered. Van turned to the girl.
"What about you? You and Asch are the same; you've both had everything stolen from you because of the Score and also by me." Van asked. The girl looked at Van, determination in her light purple eyes.
"I'll join you. I… want revenge on my 'fake', and… on the Score." The girl answered. Van smiled.
"Excellent. But you'll need a name, since your given name was… stolen from you. Also, you will need a title, since both of you will be joining the God-Generals, my immediate subordinates." Van stated. The girl thought for a minute.
"Celenia. Celenia the Moonlight." She answered.
"Celenia, like the Selenia flowers that only bloom at night?" Asch questioned. Celenia nodded. Van smiled.
"So, like Selenia flowers, you work best under the moonlight and cover of darkness, is what I would guess." Van stated. Celenia nodded.
"Yes, by the way Van, I need you to make two staffs for me." Celenia stated. Van looked confused, but then nodded.
"I understand, what do you need them to look like?" Van asked.
"One of them needs to be light purple, which looks like a cross, with a pink jewel on top. The other one needs to have a purple jewel at one end and gold and blue jewels on the other end." Celenia described. Van nodded.
"Very well. I will have them made and have uniforms ready for both of you in a few days." Van replied. Leaving his office, Celenia smiled and turn to Asch.
"I think… that being in the God-Generals will help us get our goals done and yet… I don't trust him." Celenia stated.
"Same here, but we can find out more over time." Asch replied. The two left Van's office, and headed to their new lives and identities.