a/n: In which Zelos finally earns his wings, despite the fact that it's not Christmas and he hasn't really been much of a help to anyone.


#028. "Light"

"Ready, aim..." Zelos chanted, aiming directly at the seal that blocked the passageway, "...BURN, baby! Sorcerer's Ring, fire!"

At his command, the Sorcerer's Ring unleashed a miniature burst of flame, racing in a direct line to meet the magical seal. Behind Zelos, the others in the group tensed, bracing for the moment when the two magical elements would collide. However, rather than a bang, or a powerful impact that shook the temple by its walls, the seal on the passage merely faded into oblivion without a sound as the fire hit. The party relaxed.

Zelos seemed far more disappointed than relieved. "Is that all the Sorcerer's Ring does?" he asked in annoyance, glancing down iat the relic in his hand. "Man, even the treasure in this place is lame! If I wanted flashing lights, I could just use my own magic to light a fire. Talk about a ripoff..."

Sheena—who took issue with the Chosen's whining on the best of days—had no patience spare for him after three solid hours of trudging through the multilevel labyrinth that was Mithos Temple. Zelos's latest comment finally pushed her over the edge.

"You've got to be kidding me!" she exploded, whirling to face him in a towering rage. "We're about ten seconds away from witnessing the most important event in Tethe'alla's history, and all you can talk about is how that ring isn't good enough for you! Why can't you just be grateful the stupid thing actually works?!"

Zelos rose to the bait at once, his face flushing scarlet in anger. "Oh yeah? Well, what would you have me do instead, Miss Historian?" he shouted, brandishing the Sorcerer's Ring at Sheena. "Celebrate? Thank Mithos for the blessing? In case you hadn't noticed, today hasn't exactly been fun for any of us, so please forgive me for not being in a celebrating mood!"

Unbidden, Sheena's eyes flickered toward Orochi and Kuchinawa. The Azumi brothers were watching the argument unfold with expressions of resignation and stony silence, respectively. The two had said nothing on the subject so far, but it was obvious they were still reeling from the loss of their parents at the hands of Desian soldiers. Sheena could see it in the way they fought, spoke. Even moved.

"I...that's not..." Sheena stammered helplessly, not wanting to say anything that might hurt them.

Behind the rest of the group, Yuan sighed. "Stop this pointless arguing," he said with annoyance, striding forward and shoving Sheena and Zelos apart with a sweep of his arms. "We needed to clear this passageway in order to reach the highest part of the temple, and the passage is now clear. Quit wasting time standing around and get a move on!"

Exchanging one last, sullen glance at one another, Sheena and Zelos reluctantly obeyed the mercenary's command. Falling into step behind Yuan and the Azumis, they made their way in silence toward the transporter ahead, which would take them to the top floor of the temple. The time of the oracle was at hand.

Whatever anger and resentment still lingered in Sheena's mind dissipated at once when the oracle arrived. Seeing the Cruxis Crystal lying on the altar—a testament to Zelos's divine heritage—had been enough to take her breath away, but this...this was the real deal.

"Is that...?" Sheena gasped in awe, staring wide-eyed at the white-winged figure descending toward them from the chapel's ceiling. The entire room had been bathed in a heavenly glow, making it difficult to see.

Beside her, Kuchinawa seemed equally stunned, if not moreso. "...An angel," he finished in a whisper, crossing his arms over his chest in an ancient gesture to the heavens. Sheena mirrored his actions, swallowing down a sudden feeling of anxiety.

This was it. This was the moment the Chosen's journey truly began.

Behind her, Sheena heard Orochi shift in place. "Incredible," the older boy said softly, straining his eyes to behold the angel through the blinding light. "I wonder, could that be Zelos's real...?"

He trailed off. The light in the temple had finally dimmed, enough so that they could all see the winged figure hovering in the air. The angelic countenance was nearly too beautiful to behold, the sight making Sheena feel utterly small and insignificant, only human.

The angel regarded them all wordlessly for a moment with an expression of total serenity. Finally she opened her mouth, and began to calmly speak:

"I am Pronyma. I am an angel of judgment," the angel said to them, in a voice that was tranquil and pure. "I am here to guide Zelos, son of the mana lineage, on his journey to heaven as the seventh Chosen."

Pronyma was dressed in long, richly colored robes of red and violet. Her aquamarine hair cascaded down her face in waves, beneath a glittering, ornate headpiece inlaid with gold. Her eyes were a deep, lovely shade of purple, and the enormous wings drawn around her frame were a pure, rich golden color. Her beauty was ethereal.

Beside Sheena, Zelos began moving stiffly toward the altar. Sheena almost expected him to make a crack at the angel's gorgeous appearance, but instead he walked forward with steps like a mannequin's, one halting, uncertain movement at a time. The Cruxis Crystal lying on the altar glowed brightly as he drew near, rising up in the air to meet Pronyma's waiting hand.

"The time has come to awaken the God Mithos, who sleeps at the center of the world," the angel said, looking at Zelos.

She slowly extended out her hand toward him, gently pointing the Cruxis Crystal in Zelos's direction. Again, the crystal traveled through the air to meet him, not stopping until it hovered mere inches in front of Zelos's chest.

When the glowing gem was simply too close to ignore, Zelos slowly, painfully, reached up to hold it in his hands. He said nothing, only closing his eyes. Another flash of brilliant light overtook the chapel, blinding everyone. Sheena threw up her hands over her eyes with a startled shout.

When the glare settled, she saw, through the gaps in her fingers, that the crystal had settled in a new place against Zelos's collarbone. It had taken the form of a grand-looking pendant, affixed to his skin like an emblem. The sight of it filled Sheena with an emotion she couldn't immediately name, which she supposed must be happiness, for her friend's sake. With this, nobody could say that Zelos wasn't the true Chosen.

Pronyma, it seemed, was pleased.

"From this moment, Zelos becomes the Chosen of Regeneration," the angel declared. "We of Cruxis bless this event, and hereby bestow the Tower of Salvation upon Tethe'alla."

The earth below them shook. Hearing Kuchinawa's sudden shout of surprise, Sheena jerked her head away from Zelos to look toward the window of the chapel. Outside, an infinite tower had appeared on the distant horizon, rising from the earth into the sky. The white structure of the monument seemed to stretch as high as the heavens themselves, which Sheena supposed must be the point.

If Zelos could ascend the highest reaches of that tower, she thought to herself numbly, then Tethe'alla's regeneration would be...

There was a great clamor from the others, the sounds filling her ears with mindless noise for a moment in time. When the group finally quieted, Pronyma was ready to speak again. She regarded Zelos with a tranquil peace in her violet eyes.

"Zelos, Chosen of Regeneration," she said to him. "Your purpose now is to unlock the seals guarding the Tower of Salvation, so that you may climb its stairs to reach heaven itself in distant lands. Do you humbly accept this task?"

For a moment, Sheena was afraid that he wouldn't answer—rather than being pleased at Cruxis's recognition of him as the true Chosen, Zelos now looked absolutely stricken, staring open-mouthed at Pronyma with an expression that was somewhere between disbelief and horror. Sheena found herself feeling very nearly frightened for him, not just at him: what on earth could be so wrong as to make him act like this?

"I—I do, yeah," Zelos choked out at last, in a voice that seemed terribly vulnerable and uncertain to Sheena's ears. "I...accept."

It should have been a statement of pride, or even joy. Instead, he made it sound almost like a death sentence.

Pronyma nodded to him, looking satisfied. "Very good, Chosen," she said. "With each seal you unlock, we of Cruxis will grant you the powers of the angels. First, you must head north, to the Seal of Lightning. Offer your prayers there to the God Mithos, and defeat all the trials that lie in wait. I shall await your successful passage beyond the seal itself."

Her speech complete, the angel began to rise again to leave them, golden wings flapping slowly higher toward the ceiling. Sheena watched her go, filled with a sense of wonder. Beside her, Zelos's rigid frame suddenly jerked into motion, dashing forward to the alter before Pronyma was gone.

"Wait!" he called to her, sounding faintly desperate. "Just—please wait a second, okay? I need to ask you something!"

Pronyma stopped her ascent. Zelos took her silence as a sign to continue.

"Is it true, what they said? About the day that I was born?" Zelos asked, in a voice that was almost pleading. His blue eyes were wide and filled with a terrible expression of pain. "That you're really—are you really my true mother?"

The angel's eyes widened at this, looking surprised. Then, gradually, her expression settled back into the same serene calm as before, save for a small, beautiful smile that now grazed her lips.

"First, you must head to the Seal of Lightning," Pronyma repeated to Zelos, in her same serene voice. "Am I understood? ...My Zelos, my beloved son."

Zelos stared up at her, seemingly unable to speak. "You...You're..." he gaped in shock, his whole body trembling.

Pronyma's smile didn't falter. "We shall meet again at the next seal, my son," she said, the words a solemn declaration. A promise.

Then, she was gone in a blaze of light—survived only by a scattering of golden feathers upon the alter.

And once again, the five of them stood alone inside the temple.


REVIEW RESPONSES

azure blue espeon – Glad to hear you're enjoying the story :) I'll try to keep my update schedule reasonable! As to Yuan's relationship with Sheena...all in due time, ha ha.

Rawr – Wow, this review was great! I'm really looking forward to hearing your future theories! As for your ideas on Lloyd...bear in mind that all Symphonia characters who appear in this story will be six years younger than their canon counterparts, as the Chosen's journey starts at 16. Ergo, Sheena is 13, Kuchinawa is an adolescent, and Lloyd (if he exists in this universe!) would be 11. I don't think any organization that means business would send an 11-year-old to assassinate the most important individual in Tethe'alla.