Edit: I just got the DVD of Tales of Phantasia and realized that they are officially called the Heroes of Space-Time. I have gone through and changed it for the whole thing. This is the first chapter where that change takes place.

Disclaimer: Like always, I do not own Tales of Phantasia. It is owned by Namco.

--Archer of Space-Time--

I don't know how long I slept, but it couldn't have been long. I woke up to Genis running in my room, calling my name. I followed him downstairs, confused. We hurried outside, where most of the others are.

Now we're all standing outside, watching the mansion burn down.

"This is horrible..." Colette mutters. "Who would do such a thing?!"

Lloyd sadly puts his arm around her shoulder to help calm her down. "It's okay... at least we're all safe, right?"

Footsteps resonate behind us. We turn around to find a large group of men in full armor; I can't see any of their faces.

"We found you!" the lead one says.

"Knights!" Lloyd exclaims as removes his arm from around Colette and draws his two swords. Colette reaches under her cloak for a pair of chakrams, and Genis is suddenly holding a kendama. Raine holds a long rod and Presea has an axe, while Sheena holds a pair of cards up defensively. Zelos and Kratos each unsheathe a sword and Morrison a dagger, leaving only me and Regal with no weapons.

"Now, now... we're willing to leave you alone, too," the knight says deviously.

"Then why'd you burn the mansion down?!"

"We're willing to make a deal with you."

"A deal?" Kratos asks untrustingly.

"You have something his majesty wants... the Tracking Stone."

"I see, so you're looking for them as well," Morrison mutters. He then yells, "I refuse to give it to you!"

"That's too bad, I'll just have to—"

"S-sir!" one of the lesser knights interrupts.

The knight seems to glare down at the other knight. "Kid, you need to learn your place. Never interrupt me."

"B-but sir! T-that boy..." the knight points at me, making everyone turn, confused.

"What about him?"

The young knight whispers something to the older knight, who then nods understandingly. "I see..." He turns to look at me. "You're Chester Barklight, correct?"

I nod. The name does sound familiar...

"Is that so... Then I'm afraid we cannot allow you to live."

"What?! Wait, I was right?!" Zelos demands, surprised.

"But why do the knights want to kill Chester?"

"There's no time to ponder!" Kratos barks. "Lloyd, take Colette and Chester and get out of here."

"But—"

"There's too many of them. We'll buy you some time. Hurry! Take whoever else you need!"

"All right. Colette, Chester, Genis, come on!" Lloyd grabs Colette's arm and the four of us start running.

"Lloyd, catch!" Morrison yells. Lloyd spins around, but Colette's the one that catches the stone that Morrison threw. We continue running.

"Sheena, you go with them, too!" Raine orders. "Protect my brother."

"Gotcha."

Sheena quickly catches up with us, throwing her papers at any knights who try to follow.

"Fire ball!" Genis yells as he throws fire at another pursuer.

We continue running until we end up at a port. "Let's go to Miguel," Sheena suggests. "We can meet the others at Lone Valley."

"All right. I'll talk to the captain." With that, Lloyd runs onto the boat, the rest of us following. The captain agrees to take us, but for a price. Luckily, Sheena grabbed some money on the way out of the house. She pays and the ship sets out.

Safely on the ocean, we stare back at where the mansion was. "Do you think they're okay...?" Colette asks, worried.

Suddenly the clouds seem to part, leaving a part of the sky open. Large bubbles of energy shoot out from the space in the clouds, down towards our mansion.

"Oh no...!"

"That's—!" Sheena stares, surprised.

"What is it, Sheena?"

"That's Maxwell... but who could've summoned Maxwell?"

"Maxwell? Who's that?"

"Maxwell is a summon spirit. I hope the knights didn't summon him..."

We continue to watch even after the sky calms down, none of us turning away or sitting. We only flinched when the captain of the ship announced our arrival at the closest port to Miguel.

"Should we head straight to Lone Valley or should we stop by Miguel?" Sheena asks.

"Miguel. I would like to buy a weapon," I answer. "I want to help."

"But it's dangerous," Colette points out.

"I'm already in danger anyway. The knights want to kill me, and I doubt they'll tell me why. If we're both against the knights, then that means we're on the same team, right?"

Lloyd nods. "All right. Welcome to the team!"

We walk to Miguel. Monsters attack us on the way, but the others easily fight them off. I need a weapon or something... I'll get one soon. Then I can help, too. The town isn't too far off from the port, and we make it there in no time. It's a nice, quaint little town that easily blends in with the forest next to it. It has what looks to be a dojo in the northwest corner of the town and homes and shops littered around the city. We enter and start walking down the street, looking for the weapons shop. We cross a large stone bridge, where I stop to stare down at the water.

"Something wrong, Chester?" Lloyd asks as he and the others join me on the bridge.

"It's just... staring down in this water, I can almost see the faces of three kids..."

"Three kids?"

"Yeah, but I can't see much. I can't see their faces, and I don't know their names."

"Still, it must be a memory, right?" Genis offers. "That means you know this place! That's great!"

"Onii-chan!" a girl's voice yells loudly. A young girl with blue pigtails tackle-hugs me, almost knocking me off of my feet. Genis and Colette giggle at my confused look, while Lloyd and Sheena smile.

"Is this your sister? She's cute!" Colette says.

"Onii-chan! Is that really you?! I heard you were dead!"

"I'm fine, I'm fine... I would've been dead if it wasn't for these people," I answer. The girl stares at them, taking in the situation.

"Chester! This is quite a surprise!" another voice says. I spin around to find an older man walking towards me. Is he my father? Neither me nor the girl look much like him... "You seem to be doing well, unlike what we heard."

"What do you mean?"

"We got a letter saying you were dead. I couldn't tell who sent it, but we got it yesterday. Please, come in. Your friends may come in, too."

"Thank you," I say. We follow him into the dojo.

Inside, many people are sword training. One boy looks kind of familiar... he has wild blonde hair. I walk over to him curiously. The boy turns to me with curious green eyes. His face doesn't seem familiar at all... maybe I was just imagining things. I shake my head and follow my companions into another room, past the one where the students are practicing.

"So, Chester," the man says, "what happened to make someone think you were dead?"

"I... I don't know. To tell the truth, I don't remember anything."

"What do you mean?"

"Sometimes things, such as this city and my sister, seem familiar," I explain, "but I can't remember anything. I lost my memory a few days ago."

"Is that so... I guess you're lost as to what's going on, then," the man says. "My name is Miguel Alvein. My son Cless is your best friend. As you've already found out, this girl is your sister, Ami Barklight."

"This is great, Chester! We've found your home!" Lloyd assures me happily.

"Yeah," I agree. "Will you tell me more about who I am?"

The man nods. "Recently you and Cless went off to college in Alvanista."

"Wait, you mean he really does go to the same college as Suzu?" Sheena interrupted, surprised.

"I don't know that name, but if she goes to the Alvanista City College, then yes. Chester has a lot of friends there."

"Wish we knew that while we were in Alvanista... we could've visited them," Lloyd says. "Oh well, at least you're with your family now." Lloyd stands up. "We should head on to Lone Valley."

"It's getting late. Are you sure you don't want to stay here for the night?" Mr. Alvein offers.

"Thanks, but we need to get going. Chester, you should stay here and get your memory back."

I stand up as well. "I said I'm coming too, remember? I still owe you for helping me and..." ...and the knights want my life anyway. I'd only put my sister in danger if I stay. I glance at her and at Mr. Alvein. My eyes then rest on Lloyd, who seems to understand.

"All right, if that's what you want. Let's get that weapon for you, then."

"Thanks." I turn to Mr. Alvein and Ami. "I'll be back... and hopefully I'll have my memory back by the time I return."

Mr. Alvein nods. "All right. Look for Cless—he knows you best, so if anyone can help you, he can."

"Where can I find him? The college?"

"No. I don't really know where he is right now... He hasn't written us in a little while."

"Onii-chan, be careful."

I smile. "I will."

Ami leads us to a house south of the dojo, where I live. Inside, I find a bow and quiver of arrows. I put both over my shoulder and we set off towards Lone Valley. We walk in silence for a while after leaving the village. Genis is the first to speak as he says, "Chester, are you sure this is okay? You could learn more about yourself if you stay."

"It's fine. Besides... they'd be in danger if I stayed."

"There are too many unanswered questions revolving around Chester, and it doesn't look like we'll get the answers there," Sheena says. "Right?"

I nod. "Yeah, they obviously don't know what happened to me."

We grow quiet again. We reach a small valley, where the others pull out their weapons. "There are typically a lot of monsters in this area, be on your guard," Sheena explains. I pull my bow off of my back and glance around for monsters.

"Here comes one!" Colette yells as she throws a disk up the cliff. The chakram throws the monster off, and it falls down the cliff. Not wanting to give up, it throws its claws at the girl. The swordsman of the group put himself between the cat-like creature and Colette, slicing at it with his swords. The monster falls.

Colette smiles. "We did good, right, Lloyd?"

"Yeah... you okay?"

"Of course! Let's keep going!"

We continue walking. I glance up at the high cliff and notice a large bird charging straight at us. Without a second thought, I swiftly grab an arrow from the quiver and notch it on the bow. I pull back while aiming and release. The arrow hits the bird's wing, making it lose control and fall near us.

"Nice shot," Lloyd says with a thumbs up.

"Thanks."

We exit the small valley and walk into a large city. "We should rest here for the night, Sheena suggests.

"What city is this?" I ask.

"Euclid."

We head straight for the inn in the center of the city. Lloyd, Genis, and I get one room while Colette and Sheena share another. I sit down on one of the three beds, tired.

"You okay, Chester? You've probably strained yourself too much with those wounds."

"I'm fine."

"It might be best if we change out the bandages... Raine always says that it's bad to wear old bandages," Raine's younger brother explains.

"Okay. Genis, do you think you can pick some up for us?"

"Why me?"

"I'm going to try calling Dad to make sure he and the others are okay."

"I want to stay for that!"

"You won't be able to hear what he's saying, though," Lloyd points out. "Don't worry, I'll tell you everything when you get back."

"Okay... I'll be back soon!" Genis runs out of the room.

"Don't trip!" Lloyd calls after him.

"Why'd you send him off?" I ask curiously.

"You noticed?" After I nod, he continues, "I don't know if Dad and the others are okay or not... I'd rather find out while Genis isn't here." Lloyd pulls out a cell phone and dials a number. He then puts it to his ear an waits. "Dad! You're okay!" I sigh with relief to hear him say that. "How's everyone else? ...That's great! Ah, that's right, what was that thing with the bubbles that came from the sky? ...Y'know, that..."

"Maxwell," I offer.

"Yeah, thanks. Maxwell. What was that about? ...Eh? Really? Is he still there? ...I know, I know... Oh yeah, we found Chester's hometown. He lives in Miguel. ...No, he decided to come with us. ...No. ...Yes. ...Yes. ...Euclid. We should probably meet up at Lone Valley... Yeah, where Sylph used to be."

Genis reenters the room with a plastic bag in his hand. He stares at Lloyd curiously.

"All right, see you there. Bye, Dad. ...Huh? Morrison? ...Okay, put him on. ...Yeah. ...Yeah. It's right he—wait, Colette has it. Hold on." Lloyd leaves the room and the younger boy and I follow curiously. He knocks on the door to the girls' room, and after a minute they open the door. The three of us enter.

"Who are you talking to?" Sheena asks.

"Morrison. They're all okay."

"That's great!" Colette exclaims.

"Hey, Colette, do you still have that stone Morrison gave us?"

"Yep!" The girl reaches into a pocket on her dress and pulls out the stone. Surprisingly, it's glowing.

"Hey, Morrison, is it supposed to be glowing?" Lloyd asks. "...What?! Really?! ...Wait, so who are these people? Ow!" Lloyd jerked the phone away from his ear and we all heard Morrison yelling. After the older man grew quiet, the boy slowly put the phone back to his ear. "What was that about? ...Yes, Professor Sage taught me history. ...Yep! You told us about that when we signed up. ...Now I'm lost. What?"

"This is getting annoying... can't you put him on speaker phone or something?" Sheena asks.

"My phone doesn't have that," the boy answers. "...Yeah, I'm listening," he says to the phone again. He pauses for a long time, trying to make sense of whatever Morrison is telling him. "...So this means that one of them is here, right? Wait..." Lloyd's gaze falls upon me. "You don't mean Chester, do you?! ...Uh-huh. ...Gotcha. We'll meet you at Lone Valley, then. Bye." Lloyd hangs up the phone to find the rest of us staring at him.

"What was that about?" Genis asks.

"It seems Chester's one of those people we've been looking for."

"Eehhhh?!"

"What do you mean?" I question, the only one calm at this point. They were looking for me? What for?

"That means he's one of the Heroes of Space-Time... one of the six that fought Dhaos, right?"

"Dhaos?"

"That means we've found two so far! Only four more to go!"

"Hey," I try to get their attention.

"That means we need to gather his power, right?"

"Hey!"

"Should we get the others first?"

"We're going to Lone Valley anyway, though..."

"Hey! What's going on here?!" I demand. Maybe I moved a little fast... my stomach hurts again now.

"Oh right. Um, let's see..."

"Twenty-nine years ago," Genis begins explaining, "Morrison's father was in a fight with the king. He found out about all the horrible things the king was doing, and he fought him to correct the mistakes the king was making. But he was beaten... so with the last of his power, he summoned the Heroes of Space-Time to help... however, it kinda backfired on him. Instead of coming immediately, they were reborn one by one all around the world... and now we have to find them."

"That's not all of it," Sheena continues. "One of the king's mages dispersed the heroes' powers so that they wouldn't be strong enough to do anything... we think that their powers are where the summon spirits are. Klarth, another one of the heroes, has already made a pact with Sylph."

"And Maxwell, from the looks of it," Lloyd says.

"So that was Klarth summoning Maxwell?"

"Yep. He didn't stay for long, though."

"Typical. Well, we better get some sleep. They're meeting us at Lone Valley, right?"

"Yeah, we'll meet them there tomorrow. Good night, Colette, Sheena."

"Good night!" the girls say as we retreat from their room.

"I still don't quite understand what's going on..." I tell the other two as we enter our room.

"Oh, yeah, I guess this is kinda confusing, especially since you lost your memory..."

"Basically you're the reincarnation of a hero that's supposed to put a stop to the king's evil rule," Genis explains. "But we need to get your power first... and your comrades."

"What about all of you?" I ask. "You all seem pretty powerful."

"That's why we're doing all we can in this battle. Let's go to bed," Lloyd says as he lays down on one of the beds.

Chester gained the title of Archer of Space-Time. It is a title reserved for the Hero of Space-Time skilled with the bow.