Everything

I was everything he wanted me to be.

Everything fitting for an angel. For a leader of Cruxis. For a former hero. For a friend.

In the beginning… when I first met him over 4000 years ago, I was simply a mere Tethe'allan noble. My father was the supreme commander of the army, and I knew my whole life I'd inherit his position.

When I met Mithos that day in Meltokio, I never thought for an instant that this young, innocent child would have completely, and utterly change my life.

Over time, he became my friend, and my companion.

Mithos, Yuan, Martel, and myself- the great heroes of the Kharlan War.

How did we end up like this?

How did Mithos become so twisted? How did Yuan become so distant? How did I become so… so cold? So heartless- for a moment, I had to stop myself from killing my own son.

Why did Martel have to die?

All the events that have led up to this… the formation of Cruxis. The countless failed Journies of Regeneration,

I have become everything Mithos ever wanted me to be.

Everything I did, was for his benefits. Everything I did, was to further his glorious "Age of Lifeless Beings".

I was a good friend. A good companion.

And I hated it.

I hated being his tool. I hated sacrificing the lives of thousands upon thousands of lives for his goal. A goal that Martel sought for so long to complete… in the end, she gave it upon her brother to complete. But the discrimination, the racism… the hate. It made him twisted… it turned him into something ugly. To the point where he formed Martel's wish into something of his own plan of vengeance. Martel's wish was originally one of pure goodness and selflessness.

But Mithos… Mithos made it into something… something revolting. He merely used Martel's wish to eliminate discrimination as an excuse to destroy humanity as an act of vengeance for his own kind.

His childish hatred, and his obsession over Martel made him into the so-called villain he is today.

And my anger soon surpassed what ever feelings of friendship I once had for him.

It was why I chose to help the Chosen and her companions even when I revealed myself as their enemy. Because I knew that she, and her friends were the ones who might be able to overthrow Mithos, Cruxis, and the Desians.

But more than anything, I did it all to keep Lloyd safe. I ultimately helped the Chosen and her companions because they were Lloyd's friends. If they were not, I most likely wouldn't have cared either in way if any of them lived or died. Yes, even through all our long journies together in Sylvarant- Genis, Raine, Sheena, and even the Chosen herself- I could have cared less if any of them died if they weren't Lloyd's friends. I saw that Lloyd's strong will, acceptance, and his friendship with all of them is what kept them all going. It's what gave them their strength. And their friendship is what gave Lloyd the ability to continue fighting. He fought so that they could live. So that everyone in Sylvarant and Tethe'alla could live without one sacrificing the other.

It never sat well for Mithos that I ended up choosing my son and his friends over him- one of my closest friends. It was the same situation when I married Anna- he was furious that I chose a woman, a human over his friends. He made that clear to me when he… when he ordered Kvar to… to make me…

It never once occurred to Mithos how far my anger grew when he turned Anna into that monster… when he put me in a situation when I was forced to kill her.

I was dead for fourteen years when I thought that my son, along with my wife, was dead. I was dead, but all my frustration and loathing were still there. They were the only things left in my shell of a human form. That, and a sad, sense of loyalty I had toward Mithos. It was one of the few things that made me stay by his side all this time.

Because no matter how low he had fallen, no matter how twisted he became, he was still Mithos Yggdrasil. He was still my friend. And somehow, losing him as a friend was far more painful than losing Yuan as my best friend. Because Mithos had torn apart my family.

Because of him, my son and I were enemies. Because of him, I betrayed my own son. I hated fighting against him in the Tower of Salvation. I hated deceiving him. I was so happy when I finally was able to confide in him at Flanoir… I told him everything that night… my relationship with his mother… how he came in Dirk's hands… and how I became as shallow and cold as I am today.

It was the one, single moment where I felt as though I truly was Lloyd's father. He listened to what I had to say, he heard me out- I wasn't sure if he still despised me at that moment… but I was so happy when I finally spoke to him that night.

But when he acknowledged me as his father before I left for Derris-Kharlan, I was never happier. It made everything I've been through worth it. From fighting in the Kharlan War, to fighting for Cruxis… and even battling against my own comrades. It made everything worth it.

I never did express my views to Mithos after Anna died. I never did once tell him how much I hated being his pawn, even if I did work against him on numerous occasions, even before I joined with Lloyd and his friends to stop him.

But even so, I never once hated him.

I hated being used by him, but I never hated him. It was a strange, and awkward loathing that I felt.

But I think… he must've known about my hatred. That I loathed what I was forced to do for over four thousand years- to kill, use and betray every Sylvaranti Chosen that was "blessed" by Cruxis. Even so, I never hated him.

And he knew that, too.

But he never knew that he'd one day, die by my son's hands. That his four thousand year goal to resurrect his deceased sister was a mere failure… even if part of her did live on in the new Summon Spirit of the world's new Mana Tree.

It was fitting that Lloyd named it Yggdrasil.

A reminder that he was once "good" in the eyes of the people. That he was, or maybe he always has been, a good person.

And so, through the Great Tree, Mithos lives on… even if he's one day, forgotten when new heroes and villains rise up. Even, if one day, where one attempts to have similar goals, and save one that they love through the deaths of others.

He was everything they never wanted him to be. A hero. A villain. A savior.

He was everything… he became everything when he gained control of Origin and the Eternal Sword. Or maybe he was always… everything.

In the end, I was everything he ever wanted me to be.

And he was everything we never thought he would become.

A/N: I kinda wanted to write a Tales of Symphonia one-shot, so I decided to write one using Kratos' POV, reflecting on Mithos, and later Lloyd. Let's face it, it's not the BEST fanfic ever using Kratos' POV, but I guess it's okay. I never actually wrote a ToS fanfic before, and it's one of my favorite all-time games, so that's why I wanted to write one. Kratos seems a bit OOC... well, it doesn't really feel like it's Kratos talking, but he's reflecting on the past, so... oh, who am I kidding, that's not really a good excuse. I wrote the first part of the fic a while ago, and I finished it up tonight because I felt like completing it... and I"m procrastinating memorizing lines for my Drama class... and sleeping. It's 11:38 pm. I should be sleeping right now. Oh, and R&R. I'd appreciate it. Let me know if Kratos wasn't too OOC. He probably was. In the fourth to last line of the one-shot, I did mean to reference to the characters in Tales of Phantasia. Also, in the beginning of the one-shot, where Kratos is telling is background before he met Mithos, it's said that he's a Tethe'allan noble, and he met Mithos in Meltokio in Tales of Fandom vol 2, so I didn't make that part up.