Sacre: Where the Road Broke

A thousand steps loomed above and almost as many behind. Lloyd had lost count at around two hundred. He climbed. It was the only thing he could do.

"Will we make it?" Genis's exsphere pulsed. Without it, he would've been on his knees instead of his legs.

"We have to." Lloyd could feel his own limit approaching too.

Sheena trembled with every step. She had no exsphere to fall back on. "Colette probably flew up most of these." Her voice came out winded and ragged.

One stair at a time. A hundred zillion more to go. Colette had never felt further away.

Raine called for a break.

Lloyd watched hesitantly as the others flopped down gracelessly. Did they have time to waste? But they couldn't just keep going. Maybe Colette and Kratos had rested too. He sat reluctantly.

None of the them wasted a second to loosen their water caskets. Greedily, they drank.

Lloyd sighed and looked up again at the endless path above.

Genis sighed too. "There has to be a better way of doing this."

Sheena gently stretched her limbs, trying to shake off the muscle jitters. "Aren't these places always filled with traps and riddles? The Tower of Salvation can't be that different, can it? Maybe this whole staircase is just a trick."

Genis groaned. "Then we've spent hours climbing some magic staircase that never ends? Man, that would suck."

"I'd kill for an elevator."

The Sylvaranti traded confused glances. "Elevator?"

Sheena stared back in puzzled silence before she caught on. "I keep forgetting that you guys don't have any proper technology here. Well, an elevator's kind of like this platform that lifts you up and down between floors. It saves a lot of walking."

"Kind of like warp pads? But those were always at the end of the seals, not the start," Lloyd said.

Sheena buried her face in her hand. Corrine nosed her cheek with a comforting little sound.

Genis snapped his fingers. "Actually, I think we have seen something like that in one of the ranches."

"Oh, yeah. You mean those things where you push the arrows?" Lloyd tugged his boots off.

Sheena nodded.

Genis eyed the boots warily. "You're so screwed if you drop those."

Lloyd shrugged. "Might as well be comfortable." It wasn't like there were any threats in the area, or would be any time soon. He wiggled his toes. Kratos wasn't here to complain about being inattentive or anything like that either.

Raine, who been unusually silent, pulled the conversation back into focus. "I believe Sheena is on the right track. We're missing something. We should all take this time to use our eyes and search for a clue."

More than a little eager to find another way up that didn't involved walking, they all followed the professor's suggestion. They knew the drill. Raine examined the technology. Genis scanned the mana. All the humans scouted for any breaks in structural patterns, their first clue to finding switches or solving riddles. Colette always had a way of stumbling into useful things.

Something occurred to the swordsman. "Hey, Colette's already been through here, right? Aren't these things supposed to stay solved?"

"I would guess there's a system of sorts that resets the trials after they've been completed. After all, we've seen very little evidence of previous Chosen," Raine mused.

Genis wilted. "We really are too late then."

"No." Resolve spilled over in Lloyd as he clenched his fists.

Sheena crossed her arms and gave the elven boy a worried look. "We don't know that. Maybe the angels blocked the way. She's come this far; it makes sense they'd want to protect her."

Lloyd scowled. "We're the ones who kept her safe til now. Not them."

"Back to work," Raine scolded.

A determined silence fell over them. They could do this. They'd catch up to Colette.

At least she wasn't alone. Although, Kratos's company barely counted sometimes. He was great when he tried, but so often the guy just walled up and shut down. He'd keep her safe, though.

Speaking of Kratos, Lloyd quietly vowed to punch him next time they met. Who'd he think he was, going off without them?

But Colette had left him before, too. Back in Iselia.

Lloyd sighed through his nose. The sharp memory dosed his anger. He'd gone after Colette back then, and he'd go after her this time too. As many times as needed, he'd do it every time. 'Cause Colette needed people. Especially people who saw her as Colette, not the untouchable Chosen.

Maybe Kratos wasn't all that different. Not that he was a Chosen or anything, but Chosen weren't the only people to get lonely. When this whole journey was over, Kratos would be alone again.

Lloyd decided he'd definitely have to find some way to keep in contact. After he punched him, of course.

The dual swordsman pinched himself to clear his head, then returned to clue hunting with newfound vigor. Brown eyes roamed the tower. Thick, green vines seemed to grow out of the walls, crawling up until they reached too far to see. Underneath, he caught sight of several shallow geometric engravings and angelic runes.

After a handful of minutes, Genis broke the quiet. "This is really weird. The whole tower. Ever since we stepped foot near it, there's been that massive mana flow. It's coming from something in here, but I can't even pinpoint it because it's just everywhere. Then whenever I think I've got a source trailed, it veers off. It almost feels like the tower's made of the stuff. There's just way, way too much."

Raine followed her brother's gaze. "It's very disconcerting."

"Maybe it's more mana from Tethe'alla getting ready to switch over to Sylvarant?" Sheena wondered aloud.

Her little fox friend sat up a bit from his perch on her shoulder. "No, it belongs to somebody."

"Corrine?" Sheena raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

Eyes shining, Genis looked up at the fox. "You can tell? How?"

Corrine ticked his head to the side. "It just feels like there's person behind it."

"The Goddess?" Raine asked.

"Well, it is the Tower of Salvation. Makes sense she'd be here in some form at least," Sheena offered. "Although it's hard to say how physical she is since she's receiving Colette."

Lloyd's thoughts stumbled. Sheena worded that very strangely. He took in her expression, but no, she didn't do that sheepish wince that told everyone she meant to say something differently. Actually, she looked pretty miserable. Then what did she mean? "Wait, just what happens to Colette?"

A frigid chill swept over the group. Genis frowned and glanced between Lloyd and Sheena. "Receiving her as an angel, I guess? But what's with the comment about Martel being physical or not?"

Sheena crossed her arms with a frown. "You've all come this far, and you don't know?"

"It was forbidden in the village to speak of it to the children. However, Lloyd and Genis have more than earned their right to know." Raine shifted, refusing to make eye contact. "In this last trial, the Chosen will lose her heart and memory. She'll become an empty vessel for the Goddess's use."

No, Lloyd had never been a devout, or even a follower of Martel. But none of that eased the sudden stab of betrayal. "She'll die." He knew now. It all made sense. And Lloyd hated it.

Genis flinched. The conflict between friend and faith tied his tongue. Lloyd couldn't blame him.

Raine met her brother's eyes, then Lloyd's, soft guilt spilling through her elven features. Unshed tears glimmered in her eyes. "Yes. She'll be reborn as Martel. It was her destiny from birth, and she's carried it through til now without complaint."

The uneasy silence had returned. Maybe it sounded nice to Martel's faithful. Raine at least seemed to think it was honorable, although the broken tone of her voice showed just how much she cared about Colette.

Lloyd couldn't see any honor in Colette dying. Disgust filled his heart.

Corrine's worried little fox face met his, compassionate and unaccusing. A new resolve and an unexpected inspiration filled him. "There's gotta be another way. Corrine, can you track down where that mana's coming from? If it really is Martel, then finding her could be just as important as finding Colette."

Either one would do. Just so long as he could stop the ritual. He wouldn't let Colette die. Not on his watch.

The little fox spirit gave a crisp nod.

Genis watched, envy scrawled all over his face. The boy crossed his arms. "Lloyd, what are we doing?"

He grinned. "Saving Colette. From the angels and the goddess and herself. From everything."

No one challenged him. Even Raine didn't argue. Although she did meet his eyes for a long moment, eventually dipping her head in a satisfied sort of nod.

A moment later, Corrine pinned it. "It's in this big column we're circling. If we can get inside, any part should connect to the owner's holding place."

Genis gaped. "No way. Doesn't it veer off somewhere else after hitting the column?"

Raine's eyes took on an unholy glint. "It's fabulous! Then all these regular geometric and runic patterns are really a system designed to reroute the. . ."

Lloyd tuned her out and fired his sorcerer's ring at a few engravings. Then blinked his vision clear and shot again. Sure enough, the stone rippled like pond water. "Uh, guys? You seeing this too?"

The professor paused her impromptu lecture and ran her hands over the affected area. "This tower really does seem to be constructed from mana. Perhaps these walls can be further disrupted to create an opening."

An Aqua Edge splashed the column, leaving a trail of various ripples. Genis grinned at his handiwork. "Looks like any type of magic will do the trick. I'm kind of worried about the stairs though. If we mess it up, there's one nasty fall waiting for us."

Sheena let out a nervous little laugh. "I think we'll leave it to you and Raine."

Lloyd slipped his boots back on, and hurried back. Sheena and Corrine followed to give the elf siblings as much space as possible despite being stuck in the middle of an endless spiral staircase.

The professor tapped her staff. "I suppose that would be best. I'm not certain at all what we're up against here, but we should take care to overlap our spells a safe distance between the stairway levels."

"Right. Ready when you are." The boy swung his kendama loose.

Two spell circles leapt to life, then fused with a wild crackle. A moment later, the sibling's magic rolled together in a blinding flare. Lloyd covered his eyes with a wince, realizing it was a light and lightning combination a bit too late. He'd be blinking away spots for the next hour.

He heard Genis sigh. "Well that did a whole lot of nothing. At least we're still alive."

The sound of a hand thudding the top of a head followed. That was Raine, alright. "Of course we're alive. We aimed our spells perfectly; not even a stray bolt touched the stairs."

"I wouldn't call that nothing," Sheena said.

"Indeed. The mana field is still wavering. Although, I have my doubts that this method will yield our desired result."

Lloyd rubbed his eyes and peered up at the spot. A funny glossy texture smeared over the wall, although it seemed to be fading pretty quickly. "Man, that looks weird. Yeah, you've gotta be close to breaking through. Anything I can do?"

"No!" Genis cried.

Raine shook her head. "I'm afraid the addition of kinetic artes would put us closer to Genis's fears."

"Kina-what?"

The younger elf puffed out his chest. "Kinetic. It's usually used to describe energy and artes created by motion."

Lloyd blinked away a few more afterimages. "I'll stick to calling them sword artes."

"Are we stuck then? I don't think my seals would work much better with your magic either." Sheena crossed her arms as she thought things over. "Oh, hey. There's still that ring."

Genis waved the idea off with a snicker. "No way. That thing's weaker than a novice's practice spell."

Raine hummed a thoughtful note. "It's an idea at least. The ring's magic is extremely stable, and despite its lack of power, it could still impact the mana field. However, I think we're missing a key element here. Brute magical force will only get us so far."

"Can you make magic doors or something like that?" Lloyd asked.

Sheena shifted her weight. "Honestly, that sounds more like a summoner thing, but I'm not that good."

Lloyd offered an encouraging smile. "You can do it, Sheena. Don't give up before you've even tried."

She opened her mouth to protest, "No, I–"

Corrine pounced on her. "Yeah, you can do it. You're a great summoner."

Sheena suddenly became very interested in the hem of her ribbon. "A-alright. I guess I can try. But what can I do? I mean, summoning usually means. . . well, actually summoning something."

The little fox spirit circled around her shoulders. "So call open a door. You always make one anyways."

Sheena bit her lip. "If anything bad happens–"

"Then we're right here with you," Raine cut in with her calm teacher tone. The idea must have been a good one since the professor agreed too. Lloyd sent a wide grin her way, and Genis nodded.

Warmth filled the summoner's brown eyes. "All of you. . . Thank you."

"All right. Let's do this." At Lloyd's call, the group joined efforts. The familiar blaze of magic swept up tower.

For my Heavenly Father, that the works of these hands might be pleasing in His sight.

Disclaimer: Tales of Symphonia and its characters belong to Namco.

Aside: I've never worked with so many characters at once before. It's an interesting experience. I keep wondering if everyone's acting like how they should. I also hope that it doesn't flow like an endless stream of dialogue.

Any advice for handling group dynamics is like gold to me at the moment. Having so many characters together like this is. . . difficult. Which means I clearly need to do more of it, since it's new territory.

EV brought to my attention that all of the Tower of Salvation scenes have big dramatic build ups. So just so you know, this takes place the first time they climb the tower for sake of Colette's Regeneration journey and before they've been to Tethe'alla.