I went back and edited chapters one, two and three like a week ago for grammar and such so it's a lot better than it was, IMO. :P It's also nice to read over your own work 'cuz it motivates you to keep going. At least, that's how it is for me.
The first part of this chapter probably should have been included a bit earlier in the story, but oh well. This also may or may not be the only time I include a little Yggi scene before the Tower of Salvation.
Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia. Namco does.
Standing impatiently before the malfunctioned terminal located in eastern Welgaia, Mithos Yggdrasill silently attempted to quench the anger raging inside of him as his arms tightly constricted across his chest. To put it lightly, he was furious. He was certainly not one to be trifled with and hated defiance above all things. He thought he had made it very clear to his fellow Seraph that shewould be too much of a distraction and could very well place his entire plan in jeopardy; so what could his former teacher be thinking by having her follow him into the declining world? Or perhaps she left of her own accord? Could she have eavesdropped on the conversation he had shared with Pronyma that day? Whatever the case, the Aurion child had escaped almost too easily from his clutches and he had taken it upon himself to place the blame entirely upon the incompetence of his angels.
"WORK FASTER!" He hollered furiously at his personal retinue of angels currently servicing the device. Although they obediently complied with his request, they were indifferent towards his irascible behavior, thus further agitating the already agitated Seraph.
Such a nuisance…
"Lloyd…Sara…" A nostalgic, yet simultaneously unfamiliar voice that lingered from the deep recesses of her memory emerged in her dreams; a gruff voice that sounded as if it were choking on or devouring something. And yet there was an eerily…gentle quality about it.
"Mommy…" The voice of a frightened child responded hesitantly. The sounds of clashing swords and a creature barking angrily could also be heard in the background, but she paid them no mind as the image of her mother's eyes rolling back into her head had consumed her thoughts.
Sara had witnessed the horrific sight several times in her dreams, but every time she did she could hear her younger self scream in terror; by hearing that shrilling cry over and over again, she felt both dismay and envy rage inside of her from the piercing sound. If only she could release her frustration; if only she could harmoniously scream in tune with her former self, maybe then she could…
Sara's eyes fluttered open as the gentle sea breeze brushed her hair against her cheek. She stirred at the sound of seagulls gathering outside her window, only to disperse moments later. And if that wasn't enough to lift her from her drowsy disposition, the scent of the ocean began to tickle her nose and arouse the senses. She scrunched her nose at the powerful scent and felt a pleasant smile grace her chapped lips.
As her vision came into focus, she absent-mindedly stared up at the ceiling of the inn that her companions had decided to rest in for the night. She could faintly recall the dream she had experienced in her sleep, but didn't have to ponder about it for very long to remember what it was about.
Gently shifting her gaze from the ceiling above to the window at her left, she quietly picked up the sound of the tide crashing against the nearby sandy shores and began to forget about her troubled past with the soothing sound of the ocean. Just then, a glint of desire appeared out of the corner of her eyes as she excitedly threw the bed sheets off of her body, which had nearly recovered from yesterday's events. The roaring ocean was just outside her window, and they were going to go on a boat today as well! She was enthusiastic about today, perhaps to a fault, just like a certain someone she knew.
Careful not to wake the Professor and Colette, who were sleeping in her room, she quickly changed into her travelling clothes and tip-toed her way out of the room. Quietly shutting the door behind her, she eagerly took off down the hallway; inevitably crashing into a certain brunette swordsman on her way out.
"WOAH!" Lloyd cried out as they collided into each other.
Sara quickly regained her balance but reached her hand out for his as she noticed him stumble backwards. Her fingerless-gloved hand clasped his, holding onto the fabric of his red glove as she helped him up. As she helped him up, she could faintly recognize the nostalgic grip of his hand in hers; and when she glanced at his gaze, she could tell he sensed it too. As much as she wanted to reveal her identity to him, she quickly slipped her hand out of her grasp and felt herself flush, scratching the back of her head nervously as he stared at her cluelessly.
"…So uhh, why the rush?" He grinned, completely oblivious to what had just occurred between them. She couldn't help but smile at this and shook her head absent-mindedly; then she suddenly remembered that he had asked her a question and motioned her right hand to mimic the waves of the ocean.
"The ocean, huh? Same here!" He whispered excitedly as she nodded happily, equally eager and anxious to see it for herself. "I snuck out of our room to see it for myself. Do you want to go down to the beach with me?"
She grinned happily at this and nodded, following him down the hallway. He pressed his finger to his lips as they moved ever so cautiously, careful not to wake the raging Professor and the others.
"Wow, this is great! I can't wait to go on the boat later!" Lloyd added subconsciously, outstretching his arms as they walked along the sandy shores of the port city of Izoold.
Sara nodded in agreement, feeling a grin creep its way onto the once normally stoic features of her face. She just couldn't understand how her father could live in Welgaia for thousands of years when it was so much livelier down here. Even if this was the declining world, she couldn't help but love almost everything about it. The people she's encountered, the beauty around her; but most of all…
"We have an ocean near Iselia…" Lloyd began, breaking the silence as Sara shook off her thoughts to listen to him speak. "…well it's more a bay, but I've never really been to another town before so it's a first time for me. Plus, the tide here is much stronger!"
Iselia… That's the place where Lloyd grew up, huh?
"'What's it like in Iselia?'" She stopped him from walking to write against the palm of his gloved hand. She quickly noticed his enthusiasm falter as he slowly slipped his hand away from hers. "It…was beautiful."
"…?"
"Nobody told you, huh?" He added softly as she cocked her head to the side in question. "Genis and I were banished from Iselia. The Desians came and burned the village… because we tried to help someone named Marble who was a prisoner at the ranch."
"…"
"And they were after this, too…" He lifted his hand, showing off the azure Exsphere that glistened in the sunlight.
That Exsphere…he said that he'd gotten it from his mother, right? But that means…
She subconsciously took a cautious step backwards, earning a perplexed look from her twin brother. She suddenly felt her gaze rip away from the gem and lower to stare down at the dry sand covering her feet.
She couldn't bear to stare at that thing; to have her brother see the horror stricken in her eyes. That Exsphere was the whole reason that their mother was targeted and killed. It was the reason that their family had been separated in the first place. It was the reason her father had become a slave for Cruxis. It was the reason that she couldn't live a normal life. It was the reason for her voice, her dreams… everything.
"Mom protected this with her life… and I vow to avenge her sacrifice." Lloyd added confidently, but also with a quivering tone in his voice. She returned her gaze to meet his and could tell that this had been hard on him as well. She slowly began to understand that the horrific events of that day, fourteen years ago, had not affected her exclusively.
Just then, her curiosity suddenly got the best of her as she grabbed his hand and scribbled onto it very quickly. She had been meaning to ask him this for quite a while now, though rarely ever had a moment alone with him thanks to Genis and Colette.
"'Do I…remember mom?'" Her brother read aloud, squinting to keep up with her rushed handwriting. "Nah, I was only three at the time, but…"
But?
"But I feel this… warm presence from Mom whenever I use my Exsphere. And when that happens, I feel like I can remember certain things about her; you know, like her scent or her voice…" He continued to ramble on for a bit as Sara began to drift back into her own thoughts.
So he faintly remembers her, too…
"Say, my Exsphere feels kinda warm right now…" He murmured softly to himself before capturing his sister's attention once again as he grabbed her hand and placed it on his Exsphere. "Here, feel! Then you'll see what I'm talking about."
Sara silently gasped at the warmth of his Exsphere as Lloyd gently pressed her hand against it; and it was now clear to her that Lloyd had been right about Mom all along. She could feel her presence from the gem as well and instantly lost all of her disdain for the object. Within a matter of seconds, the Exsphere also began to glow and suddenly grew even warmer by the touch.
"Woah! What the…?" Lloyd gaped, along with Sara, as the siblings fearfully stared down at the glowing Exsphere. "It's never done this before!"
"I guess she likes you or something!" Her fraternal twin added with a carefree grin as she slowly removed her hand from the gem, watching the glow subside as they parted. Sara couldn't help but grin as well, flushing as she felt a stinging sensation of emotion swell up inside of her.
Could it be that her mother was somehow alive in that thing? It was highly possible. She knew from her studies of the declining world that Exsphere's were made from human lives. If that was the case then… could it be that she recognized her own daughter after all these years?
Mother…
"Hey, are you hot or something? Your face is all red." Lloyd pointed out, once again obliviously ruining the tender moment between the siblings. His flushed sister nodded quickly and turned her back to him, rolling her eyes at her brother's clueless disposition.
She then caught sight of Genis running towards them along the shoreline and subconsciously pushed away any lingering thoughts of her mother. She waved to her half-elf companion casually as Lloyd turned his attention towards his best friend and regained his enthusiasm in a mere instant. "Genis! Hey, you'll never believe what my Exsphere just did when Sara put her hand on it!"
"Ah yeah, that's great and all Lloyd, but you better come back to the inn and quickly! Raine's kinda mad that the two of you snuck out this early without saying a word to anyone." Genis scoffed.
Lloyd and Sara gulped simultaneously, glancing fearfully at each other as they reluctantly followed Genis back to the inn.
After a good scolding from Raine, a very confusing ordeal to find a sailing vessel and a very eventful boat ride across the ocean, the party arrived at Palmacosta harbor at midday.
As the ship docked into port, Lloyd and Colette stood at the bow in an engaging conversation about how big Palmacosta is and what sights they should look into seeing before they leave for the second seal. Genis and Sara reclined against the ship's cabin as they helplessly watched Raine jitter nervously beside them. Kratos had distanced himself from the rest of the party, staring out at the sea one last time before they had to disembark.
The party disembarked a few moments later and thanked Max, the fisherman's son, for taking them across. After stocking up on supplies at the harbor, they proceeded down the boardwalk that led to the so-called 'Main Street' of the city. Colette and Lloyd were as inseparable as always as they walked in front along with Genis and Noishe following closely behind the two. Raine and Kratos followed closely behind their teenage companions, carefully making sure that none of them would become separated from the others in the crowd; especially the Chosen. Although Kratos preferred to keep a close eye on his daughter as well, he thought it was best for now to let the sheltered child trail behind as she gaped like a gawking idiot at nearly everything and anything they passed.
As Lloyd, Colette and Genis admired how large Palmacosta was to them, Sara felt somewhat disappointed at its size compared to Welgaia; but she also found this city to be nothing to snuff at either. There was evidence of daily life activity everywhere, from the smiling faces of children playing in the streets to the street vendors selling anything and everything you could imagine; not to mention it was crowded as well and the city was filled with scents and sounds of all kinds. After a careful observation, it was clear to her that she would definitely choose this place over Welgaia any day.
"Palmacosta is the largest city in Sylvarant, you know. Impressive, huh?" Genis broke the silence, mainly directing this statement towards Lloyd and Colette.
"Yeah… Wait Genis, isn't this the place where that special school is? You know the one you were supposed to go too?" Lloyd inquired abruptly.
"Ah, yeah! Yeah, I got a recommendation to go there…" He answered excitedly at first, but suddenly began to trail off as his facial expression fell instantly. Everyone but Raine and Sara sent him questioning glances. Genis had secretly wanted to attend this school, but also didn't want to leave his sister and his friends behind either, which is why he chose to stay in Iselia. The Professor stared at her little brother empathetically while Sara's attention span was nonexistent at this point.
"Genis?" Colette called out to him softly, but instead went colliding into another person on the street before she could recieve an answer. Simultaneously, a bottle with a strange rose-colored liquid fell out of the girl's hands and smashed into pieces on the ground beside her. "Ah!"
"Hey! Watch where you're going!" Another voice apart from the person Colette collided with previously barked furiously at her as she roughly landed on her backside.
Everyone in the party stopped abruptly to help her up while Lloyd began to fume from this guy's attitude. Sara, once again oblivious to what had just occurred, kept moving forward before she eventually collided into Kratos unintentionally. The Seraph barely staggered at the impact while his daughter attempted to regain her balance, swinging her arms out at her sides in order to lean forward. After she recovered from the blow, she glanced up at her father with a nervous grin; receiving a warning glare from him to 'knock it off and pay attention.'
"…There she goes again." Genis murmured to himself, obviously referring to Colette.
"Oww! What did you do that for!?" The person she had accidentally collided with moaned in irritation as the rude man beside her helped her to her feet. "Oh no, the Palma Potion that we just received!"
"I-I'm terribly sorry!" Colette stammered nervously, bowing to the group of people apologetically. Strangely enough, almost an equal number of companions had been accompanying this girl as well.
"Hey lady, that was a very valuable potion! Just how are you planning to make up for this, anyway?" The rude man fumed as he entered a glaring contest with Lloyd.
"I'll buy a replacement potion right away!"
"…Replacement potion!? Do you honestly think that's enough to appease my anger?" He snapped abruptly.
"Now you just sound like an idiot." Lloyd scoffed, absent-mindedly reading his own thoughts aloud.
"What'd you say, punk!? Do you realize who you're talking too?"
"L-let's just let it go, Giro. They said they'd buy a replacement for us." The person Colette had collided into abruptly intervened, attempting to rationally diffuse the attention they had attracted from passing civilians.
"Hmph." Giro folded his arms and reluctantly restrained himself. "You got off easy this time. We'll wait here for you, then."
"Thank you for understanding; I'm sorry again for the trouble." Colette bowed apologetically once again as her companions sighed helplessly at her annoying habit.
Sometime later as the sun began to set, the party stopped to rest briefly at Palma Square after running into a heated quarrel between a shopkeeper's daughter Chocolat and two Desian soldiers, obtaining and returning a replacement potion to Giro and his companions, and finally meeting with Governor-General Dorr and falsely being accused of impersonating the Chosen's group (although that situation was quickly rectified thanks to Colette's clumsiness.) Suffice it to say, it had been a long and eventful day for everyone.
"I can't believe those guys were impersonating us all along! We shouldn't have let them off the hook so easily… They're probably halfway to Hakonesia Peak by now." Lloyd sighed to himself in frustration.
"But it's not like we knew that they were impersonating us when we ran into them." Genis added, taking a seat on the steps of City Hall beside his best friend.
"True, but they were rather suspicious-looking from the beginning. That girl that we ran into was leading a group of people equal to the number of companions that Colette has by her side. Therefore, if you consider the fact that Desians have made it nearly impossible for many people to travel these days…" Kratos began, leaving Raine to finish off his train of thought for him.
"Kratos is right. It's unusual for a group of people other than the Chosen and her companions to be travelling around Sylvarant so freely because of the Desians. The only people you ever see on the roads these days are scholars, mercenaries, pilgrims and travelling merchants; hardly anyone travels for pleasure."
"They could have been any one of those things though, couldn't they?" Colette added, hypothetically speaking.
"But mercenaries usually work alone, and rarely, if ever, have more than two or three companions at a time." The mercenary himself answered quickly and sharply, eliminating the possibility completely.
"That Giro guy sounded like a complete idiot, not to mention they didn't looklike scholars." Genis added somewhat bitterly.
"I would also assume that devote pilgrims of the Church would be more forgiving then they were." Raine murmured to herself just as bitterly.
"And they didn't look like they were selling anything." Genis finished.
"In any case, the Book of Regeneration is gone. Even if we left the city to chase after them now, we'd be wandering in the wilderness in the dark. It's likely they might have sold it off to a collector or a scholar by now." The Professor added bluntly, finally taking a seat beside her little brother.
"Damn it!" Lloyd swore, gritting his teeth at the thought of how rude they were to them; especially Colette.
"It can't be helped. We'll just have to trust in Remiel's words and look for the next seal that is located somewhere on this continent." Kratos added.
"Across the sea…" Raine murmured aloud, gently tapping her chin with the tip of her index finger as she pondered Remiel's words carefully. Was the next seal really hidden somewhere on this continent; or could he have meant an island instead?
"But we don't even know how many are left!" Lloyd added exasperatedly, gently pressing his back against the stone beam situated behind him.
"Hey, where's Sara?" Colette piped, glancing through the crowded streets of Palmacosta from where she sat at Lloyd's side. Everyone seemed to tense up at Colette's observation and began surveying to crowd as well; especially Kratos, who wore a mixed expression of irritation and concern.
Although many shops and churches were closing up for the day, the city's notorious nightlife was just about to get underway.
Well, hope you enjoyed this one! I'm debating whether or not to use the school scene where they measure the party member's intellect, because that scene is terribly funny. XD But we'll see if we can fit it. Any input is appreciated.
