The next chapter is coming right up, but first-
Disclaimer: Tales of Graces and Tales of Symphonia, along with their respective characters, locations etc. were created and copyrighted by Namco.
One more OC is going to show up along with the Tales of Graces main characters, she's another of Kazane Hime's OCs. And speaking of OCs, some of the OCs in this fic aren't mine, I borrowed them from other authors. I realize that you may already know by now, but as redundant as this is, I'd probably get in trouble without the disclaimers.
I know I said I wouldn't use Dorek again for a few more chapters, but I had some second thoughts. As for pairings, I've yet to decide the final pairings for some of the characters.
To those who have not played Tales of Graces, there will likely be spoilers for it in this chapter and possibly the next.
Chapter XX: Ephinea and Fodra
The group headed back to Meltokio to let the king know that the monsters have been defeated before leaving the planet. The king was relieved to see they were okay, and listened as Kenneth explained the outcome of their mission"The monsters were defeated, but we were accosted by two enemies commanded by an unknown entity calling itself Solomus."
"Solomus? Hm. That doesn't ring a bell, but I commend you for defeating the monsters. Kenneth, I considered your request of an alliance between your world and the combined realms of Silverant and Teth'alla. I'm afraid I'll have to decline, for we require all of our resources for the safety and well-being of the peoples of Tethe'alla and Silverant. Please do not think too badly of me" spoke the king.
Kenneth nodded"I understand, sire. I pray that your kingdom prospers for all time."
Zelos spoke up"Zelos, Regal and I will be going with our friends, seems that a demon called Zarthantos or whatever that is causing trouble. All the more adventure for me."
The king pondered for a moment"Very well, but try to come back alive, your half-sister will be displeased if something happened. Alan, I request that you go with them."
"I have already considered doing that" replied the gunman.
The group bade farewell to the king of Tethe'alla and went back to the airship. While Chris changed the settings on the airship to take them back to the space station, Colette explained to Raine the ruins she and Lloyd had found on the planet they had been zapped to.
"Sounds fascinating, I would've loved to see those places if we had the time" smiled Raine.
"I'll probably begin reconstruction of Garnet after the whole business with Zarthantos is settled. But you'd be welcome to see it anytime" remarked Chris.
Raine nodded"I shall keep it in mind. By the way, out of curiosity, does the planet you come from have any schools?"
Kenneth shook his head"Viola and Verde's peoples have had no formal schooling as far as I know. Some of the commoners in Viola lack the ability to properly read and write, regrettably. Anorab isn't much better, though it does have a small academy from what I heard from their princess. My parents had expressed interest occasionally on improving matters, but other matters have kept us occupied and too busy to do so. Children usually inherit whatever knowledge is passed down by their parents."
"Well, I should imagine that being home-schooled is better than nothing. As a teacher, I approve for the most part. But wouldn't it be better for children to learn together as a group?" questioned Raine.
"It would be nice" said Kenneth, thoughtfully.
"Sometimes it's better to be an honest fool than a lying scholar" muttered Aster. Rise thumped him on the shoulder.
The group returned to the space station to report. Chris explained to Alexander and Priscilla the results of the mission. The Violan knight captain was pleased"So Stella has regained some of her memories. But we still need to fully restore her powers, correct?"
"Yes" nodded Stella.
"Shall we check Ephinea, next?" asked Chris.
"Indeed. I heard that it is surrounded by an Aquasphere, rather than a Atmosphere. But the airship just might be able to break through" said Priscilla, thoughtfully.
"Let's retire to the quarters for the evening" suggested Chris. The others nodded.
"They're headed for Ephinea" mussed Vanessa, gazing through her hand-held crystal.
"Should we intercept?" asked Dorek.
Vanessa shook her head"No. Solomus and Raven have their own plan. Let them deal with it however they please. Now, we should head back to the shrine."
The heroes were preparing to have dinner for the night in the dining room of the station after the group who have stayed behind introduced themselves to the newcomers. Trent and everyone else exchanged small talk, except for Arianna and Emil who are cooking dinner in the kitchen.
"After we get the last sphere, what approach should we take to infiltrating the shrine where Zarthantos is being resurrected?" asked Chris.
"Don't forget that Solomus guy, who knows what he could be doing" mussed Shin.
"True enough, but we'll kick their butts like there's no tomorrow, right?" grinned Aster.
Alan, who was quietly listening, spoke"Blind optimism can be fatal."
"Better than nothing, though" shrugged Trent.
Althea thought quietly as she listened'Ephinea definitely sounds familiar... But where could I have heard of it?'
"Something wrong, Althea?" asked Shin.
"Nothing" replied the brunette martial-artist.
Emil and Arianna eventually joined the others with enough plates of curry, chicken and seafood for everyone. Marta complimented Emil as they ate"Your food is as delicious as always, Emil."
"Thanks, though Arianna helped with some of it" blushed the blue-clad blond.
They ate their dinner quietly for the most part, making small talk along the way. Malin glanced at Savannah a few times. Kenneth noticed this and asked his friend"Don't tell me you now have feelings for Sven Kells."
Malin flushed sheepishly"W-well... I hadn't known she was only stealing to help her friends and that her mother is a noblewoman... Besides, my father and sister don't know Savannah's alias. I was actually thinking about Winter... Though I don't really know her very well. Yet I am... enchanted somewhat by Winter's voice..."
"Either one would be interesting for you" smiled Kenneth.
"Well, Priscilla says that we'll probably be in Ephinea's orbit tomorrow, so we should retire for the night" yawned Chris.
Ephinea had been peaceful and was a pleasant evening since the Nova monsters and Fodra's creatures were all but defeated, so a blond woman with a staff-like weapon was taking an evening stroll in Orlean Woods. Her village had been rebuilt, but she, her teacher and two small families from Barona were currently the only inhabitants.
As she walked to the outer parameter of the woods, a knight who was patrolling the forest against further monster attacks to ensure that Orlean doesn't get attacked again greeted her"Lata, good evening."
"Same to you, Larry" acknowledged Lata.
The man spoke"I trust that everything in Orlean Village is safe in secure?"
"Yes, it is nice and peaceful now that Lambda's monsters are no longer rampaging" smiled Lata.
"Still seems like news to me, to think that King Richard was being manipulated the whole time, yet he took the full blame for his earlier misdeeds. But anyway, shouldn't you be returning home? The higher-ups have picked up rumors of guerilla attacks at select villages in Strahta and Windor, and supposedly the perpetrators aren't even from Fendel" frowned the guard, concerned.
"Is King Richard aware of them?" asked Lata, worried.
The guard nodded"Yes. I heard that his majesty has launched an investigation with Fendel and Strahta's leaders and their armies. He is even enlisting passing adventurers to help with the investigation, apparently. I don't know for sure, I'm just a guard."
Lata nodded"Well, good night. I think I'll go see King Richard in the morning."
"Same to you, ma'am. Guess I'll head back to the village, shortly. Say hi to my wife and son" shrugged the guard.
Lata nodded and headed back to her home village for the night, stopping not too far from the village to practice with her brandistock for a few minutes.
Trent, Arianna and their companions woke and ate breakfast before heading to the bridge. The group watched out the window as a seemingly reddish sphere and a smaller blue one came into view.
"Wow. Look at that" breathed Winter.
"Ephinea and Fodra... Just like how it was described in the old books" gasped Priscilla.
"Fodra may be our destination, but is there something that needs to be done on Ephinea?" asked Chris.
Althea thought for a moment"I think... Maybe we should go to Ephinea."
"I don't see why not, we could get more information while we're at it" acknowledged Kenneth.
Chris nodded"Well, let's decide who should go down to Ephinea."
"I shall go" said Arianna.
"Count me in" chimed Trent.
Aella inclined her head"I'll go with you all."
"I'm in" said Althea.
"I'd be happy to help" grinned Shin.
"Aster and I will come with you" piped Stella.
"Only right that I come along, so count me in" said Kenneth.
"Very well, then. The rest of us will wait and keep the station running" acknowledged Alexander.
Trent's group boarded the airship and flew down to Ephinea, dropping the airship's forcefield when it was safe to do so. Althea saw what looked like a very familiar spot on a hilltop and requested that Chris land the airship there. Upon landing, Arianna looked around"Looks beautiful here, kind of looks like the hill back on our planet."
"Is this... Lhant Hill?" gasped Althea, recognizing the familiar hilltop as something clicked in her head"We must be close to... What was the village's name again?"
"You remember something?" asked Shin.
Althea looked around"Yes, let's go."
The group descended from the hilltop to a open field. Glancing to the right, Althea spotted the gate to a vaguely familiar small town"This way."
"Okay" Chris nodded, and the group rushed towards the gate, stopping to glance at the upcoming surroundings.
Althea looked around and led the group onward. A pair of brown-clad guards were watching the gate and intercepted"Halt. What's your business, here?"
"At ease" an older guardsman with white hair interjected and glanced at the brown haired girl"Hm?"
"Althea Kotland... Pleased to meet you" said the martial artist, uncertainly.
The man frowned"Althea, is it not? Do you not recognize me? My name is Bailey, lest you forgot."
"No, sir. I... I lost my memory some time ago" said Althea.
Bailey sighed"I can't say that I am too disappointed. I suppose you and your companions may enter Lhant, we've been on edge lately and it is too dangerous to be out of town at a time like this. Lord Asbel ordered extra security for the citizens of Lhant due to a monster sighting at Fendel's border. That, and we have an unconfirmed rumor of a strange, black-haired armored man sighted at Warrior's Roost, according to King Richard."
"A black-haired armored man? Could that be Raven? Impossible" gasped Shin.
"You know him?" Bailey looked sharply at Shin.
Shin shrugged"We're not on the friendliest of terms, but I saw Raven die... Or did he?"
"Will you let us in? We'd like to speak to Lord Asbel and explain our presence, as I suppose we walked unexpectedly into his land. Honestly, I'm surprised no one was surprised by our sudden appearance. Also, we'd like to go to the capital of this country and talk to your ruler, I have something to ask of him" said Kenneth.
"Lord Asbel is a compassionate man, and Lhant is but a border town between Windor, Strahta and Fendel. People from all three countries pass through here, freely these days. I will allow you to see him if you must, but don't do anything suspicious. Barona, the capital of Windor is to the east of Lhant, King Richard is the ruler of this country" said Bailey, gesturing to the younger guards to let the group pass.
Kenneth's group thanked the leader of Lhant's guards and headed southeast a bit before coming to a two-story manor at the southeast corner of Lhant. Arianna breathed"What a impressive manor."
"Indeed" Chris and Aella glanced at the manor's garden to see two flowerbeds covered in purple flowers. Watering the plants was what looked like a young woman in white and pink clothes with long purple hair and purple eyes.
Althea glanced at the purple-haired woman'Have I seen her before?'
Althea walked up to the girl"Hello."
The purple-haired girl had just finished watering the flowers and looked at the source of the voice"Huh? Althea, is that you?"
Althea was taken aback"Uh, yeah. See, thing is, I lost my memory a while ago and can't remember anything. Are you in some way part of the House of Lhant?"
"You lost your memory?" The other girl was surprised"I see. I hope you recover your lost memories, Althea, it is good to see you again anyway."
Kenneth walked over"Fair Maiden, my name is Kenneth Terrence Viola. Right now, my companions and I are on our way to speak to your master, Lord Asbel about the reason we're here in Lhant. Is the master of the house present?"
The purple-haired girl was taken aback, not sure how to react to being called 'fair maiden'. Standing up, she slowly regained her voice"Um. My name is Sophie, I am Asbel's daughter."
"You're his daughter? Forgive my insolence" flushed Kenneth.
"It's okay, I like watching over the flowers in the garden, so I can kind of see why you wouldn't think that he's my father. Asbel is doing this month's paperwork, and Cheria is away at the moment. If you want to talk to him, I'll lead you to the study" said Sophie, walking ahead into the manor. The group followed.
"Ah. Sophie, you finished with the garden for the day? Who are these people?" said an elderly man in a tux and pants.
"They're here to speak with Asbel" said Sophie.
"Hm. Is that the study?" Trent walked over to the door and opened before anyone can stop him. Arianna glanced his way to see a desk inside the room's far side with an auburn-haired young man reading what looked like a piece of paper.
"Asbel?" Sophie entered the room first.
"What is it Sophie? Huh?" the young man put down the letter to see the unfamiliar group gathering inside with his adoptive daughter.
"Asbel, right? My name is Christopher Putnam, my friends and I are here to talk to you and then go see your ruler" said the brunette dualblader.
"I'm Asbel Lhant, just call me Asbel" said the reddish-haired man, who had a seemingly mismatched pair of eyes, one blue and the other purple.
Kenneth addressed him"My name is Kenneth, my friends and I are from another world, we met up with your daughter outside. I was going to speak to your king, but first thought I should talk to you, as your guards were a bit suspicious of us."
"I don't remember telling them to stop people from entering, I'll have a word with Bailey when I have time. Hubert insisted that Lhant should have a tight security because of the current monster problem through his last letter to me, not to mention the sightings of some strange people being sighted at not only Windor, but Fendel as well" shrugged the white and green-clad man.
"What do you mean from another world? Are you from Fodra? Even if it were so, I don't even remember seeing you" Sophie asked Kenneth.
The Violan prince shook his head"No, we're from a totally different world, our technology is kind of advanced."
"I don't think Richard can dismiss the possibility of other places that are not part of Ephinea. Speaking of which, he had sent me this letter, asking me to come see him about the recent attacks in select places in Fendel, Windor and Strahta. Doesn't seem to be remnants of Lambda's or Fodra's monsters, either. Cheria had left yesterday to help the rest of the relief organization with aiding the endangered villages in Windor. Strahta and Fendel haven't been hit nearly as hard. And fortunately, it sounds like Yu Liberte, Barona and Zavhart were spared so far" said Asbel, explaining some of the letter's contents.
"Who was Cheria, again?" asked Althea.
"Althea?" Asbel turned to the brunette martial-artist.
"Sorry to surprise you. You see, I woke up with amnesia on Prince Kenneth and King Christopher's planet" explained Althea.
"What? I see, sorry to hear that. Anyway, would you like to come with me to Barona? You guys look like you're seasoned mercenaries or adventurers, wherever you came from" smiled Asbel.
Kenneth inclined his head"You are too kind, Lord Asbel. We'll accompany you."
"Asbel, I'd like to come along, too" spoke Sophie.
"Okay, just stay close" smiled the auburn-haired man, leading the group out of the study. Turning his attention to the elderly man outside the room, Asbel instructed"Frederic, can you and Bailey keep an eye on things while I'm out? I'm taking Sophie with me."
"Of course, Lord Asbel" replied the butler.
Asbel, Sophie and their companions headed east to the Port to Barona, making some small talk along the way. Trent addressed Asbel"So what sort of monster are we dealing with?"
"The details are sketchy, but it seemed to be a tall humanoid eal. Hubert said that Strahta's intelligence division was able to pick up that bit of information, at the cost of a few of his troops' lives. And I read from Captain Malik's last letter that the Amarcians are helping with the investigation of some disturbances near the Zhonecage, Pascal had a hunch and had to investigate, apparently" shrugged the auburn-haired swordsman.
"A large eal... Sounds interesting" remarked Chris.
They rode a boat to Barona and headed to the castle. Trent, Kenneth and Chris glanced around the majestic city, impressed. Althea silently listened to the conversation as she walked alongside Shin, admiring the majestic capital.
"Asbel, Sophie" A pink-haired woman with white and orange clothes and black ribbons caught up to the party"Did you get King Richard's letter? I received one from him, myself."
"Yes, this time it is about the strange occurrences from the last two days. Glad to you again, Cheria" said Asbel.
"Cheria..." Althea whispered, then said loudly"I... I can almost remember everything."
"Althea? Is that you?" asked the pink-haired mage.
"Yes... Though I've had a little trouble with my memory a while ago" nodded the brunette martial-artist.
Cheria was stunned"Really? That's too bad. Thank goodness you're okay. Who are these other people with you and Asbel, Sophie?"
"Christopher Putnam, at your service. Trent, Arianna, Shin, Aster, Aella and I came from another world. We were headed for Fodra, actually, but thought we'd come check things out, here" spoke the brunette dualblader.
"Pleased to meet you, I'm Cheria Barnes. I actually came here a couple minutes ago when I heard you guys talking" said the pinkette.
The group entered the castle at the northern part of Barona and headed up to the throne room as they talked. When they got there, a blond man in regal black attire, a blue-haired man in a blue and white uniform, a blond woman, an older blond clad in mostly gray and a red and white-haired woman were talking within, a few soldiers stood to the side.
"Richard, we're here" Asbel approached the king of Windor and bowed.
Richard, the king of Windor, smiled as he addressed his old friend"Good to see you again as always, Asbel."
The blond woman glanced at the brunette martial artist"Is that you, Althea?"
"Lata?" Althea blinked as she struggled to remember her oldest friend's face.
"Yes, Althea. It's nice to see you again" smiled the blond woman.
Chris addressed Richard"King Richard, I presume? I am King Christopher of Garnet, from a distant kingdom with the same name. My own companions and I are here from another planet, we need to find a hidden fissure at Fodra, but came here first."
"And I'm Kenneth of Viola, I wish to form an alliance with your country" said the Violan prince.
Richard acknowledged them"You say you're from another world that's not Ephinea or Fodra? Hm. Interesting. I can tell you a few things about Fodra, it is a desolated wasteland with only a small speck of greenery left. I suppose it is possible my own friends and I haven't visited every inch of Fodra. And what may I ask does your alliance entail?"
Kenneth replied"I wanted to establish diplomatic ties with your planet, though we may not have much to offer yours."
"Alliances are rarely formed for trivial reasons such as that, but I will consider it" acknowledged the King of Windor.
Asbel spoke"Richard, your last letter said that there was a strange monster on the rampage, and that strange sightings were found somewhere."
"Indeed, Asbel. We are well versed with the customs and clothing styles of Windor, Strahta and Fendel, but these particular beings that panicked civilians from all three nations saw were not from around here, apparently. And the monster that all three countries' forces are trying to subdue is supposedly quite strong" said Richard, grimly.
"A few of my own troops could not believe their eyes, Mister Oswell and the President were even more perplexed to hear of a man with a strange, metallic arm and a sorceress with some sort of crystal being sighted occasionally with the monster" said the blue-haired man, grimly.
"A man with a metallic arm... So Raven didn't die after all? Even a Fel-Rae can only take so much" whispered Shin to himself.
"Hubert, good to see you again. So what else do we need to find out?" asked Asbel.
"The Zhonecage is acting all wonky for some reason or another, I was itching to go check it out when Fourier said she'd do it" said the red-and-white haired woman.
"Pardon me, but who are these others?" inquired Kenneth.
Hubert glanced at the Violan Prince"I am the Lieutenant of the Strahtan army, Hubert. Formerly of the Lhant family."
"I'm Pascal, nice to meet'cha" grinned the Amarcian.
"Malik Ceasers, Ambassador for the Chancellor of Fendel" spoke the older blond man.
"Now that we're all better acquainted, let's get down to the bottom of the mess. How can we be sure that Fodra isn't acting up again? I can't imagine that Lambda would have an easy time convincing her that humanity isn't all bad" said the blond king.
"Lambda knows what he is doing, I don't think there are any problems with him and Fodra. Pascal, you said there was something wrong at the Zhonecage again, right?" asked the Lord of Lhant.
"That's right, Fourier and Frederic were kicked out of the Terma Ten last I checked. And then there's Solomus..." said the Amarcian.
"Sounds like this 'Solomus' really is causing trouble, is there anything more to that?" asked Chris.
"Don't forget that we're going to help Thetis regain her powers and then stop Archfiend Zarthantos before he lays waste to our world, Chris. I heard of Zarthantos in both lore and legend, his power is so great that even 'perfect beings' like this Solomus could become corrupted by his dark aura. I wouldn't be surprised if that's the case, could Raven have been manipulated this whole time?" speculated Aella.
Shin shook his head"No, I'm sure Raven was acting on his own free will. Fel-Rae are powerful enough that we don't succumb to magical manipulations easily, he clearly meant to kill King Irwin, back on our home planet."
"Raven? Fel-Rae? Zarthantos? What's all that about?" frowned Hubert.
"Long story" said Trent.
Before anyone else could say anything, a Windor guard approached"Your Majesty! There's trouble at the square! The monster has shown itself."
"What? Asbel, everyone, let's go" said Richard, urgently.
The group headed out of the castle to find a massive, black and white eel humanoid. Sophie gasped"The GentleEel."
Glancing at the large monster, Trent addressed the purple-haired Fodran"You fought that thing before?"
"Yes, before we saved Richard and Lambda" said Malik.
The monster had just shrugged and cast aside some soldiers that attempted to stop it. Accompanying it were two smaller, yellow creatures. Asbel readied himself"Looks like some of the Zhonecage's monsters are on the loose."
"But how? I thought Solomus commanded the Terma Ten" freaked Cheria.
"I know you're there, Shin!" a familiar voice bellowed.
"Raven?" Shin drew his sword and looked around for the other Fel-Rae.
"But I thought he died when Shin threw him into that pyramid in our world" paled Stella.
"I was merely burnt by a pool of hot lava at the pyramid's bottom, nothing more. Now it is your turn to die!"bellowed Raven's voice before fading.
"The sorceress must be helping Raven, somehow" mussed Kenneth.
The GentleEel glanced downward at the large party and whimpered a few words in its language.
Sophie nodded and addressed Malik and the others"He says he's sorry, but he has no choice but to fight. He is being controlled by a terrible woman, he says her name is Vanessa. Also, the Terma Ten's leader is not quite himself."
Malik frowned, putting a hand on his bladerang"Properly sourced food is essential for health. Why should we listen to a lying bottom-feeder like him?"
The yellow creatures, Peepits, charged at the group, prompting Trent, Shin and Asbel to bash them aside with their blades. The GentlelEel walked onto the air and belly-slammed itself down upon the group, prompting them to scatter.
"Lightning Strike!" Trent attacked the monster, only for a Peepit to stagger him with its beak. Aster charged forward and cut down the peepit, while Sophie unleashed a flurry of combos upon the larger monster, which countered with a head-butt.
Shin, Chris and Trent mopped up the rest of the peepits, while the others fought the GentleEeel. The larger monster leapt up into the air and rolled itself downward towards Aella. The chestnut-haired elf dodged and countered with Rapier Rush.
"Stampede Strike!" Asbel had launched a flurry of sword slashes and an upward thrust at the GentleEeel. The monster staggered and countered with a kick. Malik hurled his bladerang, staggering the giant monster further. The GentleEel attempted to counter with a flurry of kicks and a bodyslam, when Sophie interjected with a combo of her own.
Hubert split his dualblade into twin pistols, blasting the monster with Broadside Waltz"Dance like a Dam! Instant Valse!"
"Expunging Sword!" Trent followed that up with his own mystic arte, while Aella darted behind the monster and stabbed it.
"Time to end this. Expiation!" Chris launched his mystic arte.
The monster was floored in an instant by the artes. Trent sheathed his weapon with a smirk"Some monster that was."
"I sensed little to no malice in it, though. Perhaps it was merely being controlled" murmured Aella.
Richard shrugged"Nothing can be done besides cleaning up the mess, now. I'll have my knights move its body away and bury it. Assuming this solves the monster issue, we should now turn our attention to this 'Zhonecage'."
"We need to get to Fodra" said Stella.
Trent squared his shoulders"If Raven is really alive, we'll just have to take him out for good. King Richard, will you let us help you solve the problem at the Zhonecage you guys mentioned after we're done on Fodra? Stella thinks there's some kind of fissure."
"I cannot recall seeing a fissure on Fodra, but I suppose it is possible my friends and I haven't been to every inch of the place. Asbel, forgive me, but would you mind going with them? I must contact the President of Strahta and the Chancellor of Fendel to tell them that the monster has been stopped, and that the main source of our recent problem might be at the Zhonecage" requested Richard.
"No problem, Richard" smiled Asbel.
"Count me in" Sophie spoke.
"All righty, while you guys ship off to Fodra, the rest of us will go help my sister, Fourier with the Zhonecage" piped Pascal.
"I'm going with Asbel and Sophie, they'll probably need my healing artes" said Cheria.
Shin addressed Richard"If you're going to kick Raven's *ss, take me with you."
"I'm going, too" said Althea, determined.
Lata hesitated"Hm. I think I'd like to go with Richard, too, Althea."
"Okay" nodded the brunette martial-artist.
"I'd say we both have our assigned groups. Asbel, sure you don't need Pascal to help pilot the shuttle?" asked the blond king.
"Actually, we can probably figure it out" Chris cut in.
Cheria addressed Pascal, Malik, Hubert and Richard"Be careful."
"Same to you" responded the blue-haired lieutenant.
"You guys can keep the 'shuttle'. My own companions and I have our own means of space transportation" smiled Chris.
"Good to know. When you're done doing whatever you need to do on Fodra, feel free to come help us" acknowledged Richard.
Asbel's group separated from the others and headed out of the capital by boat, back towards Lhant. Aella addressed the auburn-haired swordsman"Pray tell, what is Fodra like?"
"Its pretty barren, save for the Garden that my friends and I found last time" replied Asbel.
"Sounds interesting, yet kind of sad" remarked Chris as they walked the whole way.
Vanessa was watching through her crystal and frowned when she had witnessed the monster get beaten"Pathetic creature."
"The natives are headed for our trap, so is that purple-haired brat" sneered Raven.
"The grand finale is in place, yet still Thetis dares not approach" mussed Dorek in his strange dual-voice.
Vanessa shrugged"All this violence is so pointless, yet so necessary... The sooner the war ends, the better."
"Vanessa?" Dorek turned to his empress with a concerned expression.
Vanessa shrugged"Never you mind."
Chris's group boarded the airship parked at Lhant Hill and flew back out of the Aquasphere. Cheria gasped as she saw the space station hovering between Ephinea and Fodra"What is that?"
"A space station, my companions and I used it to come to your planet" replied Chris as they soared seemingly into Fodra's gravitational pull, using the anti-gravity and force field functions of the ship to protect themselves from the endless vacuum of space.
Upon their approach of Fodra, Stella gasped"I think I sense the pure eleth spewing from that planet. Chris, keep the ship steering towards the place, I'll try to get a fix on the exact location."
"I sure hope Shin and Althea will be all right" remarked Arianna.
"Whoa! Something's pulling at us" gasped Trent.
The airship shuddered as it suddenly caught on to Fodra's gravitational pull and sped towards the planet. Sensing this, a being within Asbel spoke"Can't do anything without me, can you?"
"Lambda?" gasped Sophie, sensing the being within Asbel awaken.
Lambda took temporary control over Asbel's body and threw up a stronger force field just before the ship seemed to crash upon the rough terrain of Fodra. Chris, Arianna, Trent, Aster, Kenneth and Stella were astonished.
"Thanks, Lambda" Asbel said to the being inside his body, which flushed with embarrassment and became dormant again.
"He must have sensed we needed help" said Sophie.
"Guess he was talking to Fodra at the time" shrugged Asbel as they looked around.
"Who's Lambda?" asked Stella as they disembarked.
"He's an ancient being born from Fodra's core. Lambda was terribly misunderstood, and we didn't even know that until around the time we fought him and Richard at the Ghardia Shaft" said Cheria.
Stella glanced at a nearby fissure, which was surrounded partly by a strange white glow"Here it is" and went in. The others proceeded to follow her into the unknown fissure, watching in awe as a greenish landscape came into view.
"This must be the fissure where the rest of my powers are being kept" whispered Stella.
"So let's go" smiled Chris.
The group went deeper inside the fissure, which consisted of a series of ledges and narrow pathways. With some tricky navigating and walking in single file, the group eventually came to a large platform with a glowing crystal on top of a stone pillar.
"Must be it" said Trent.
"Something's coming from the orb" noted Sophie as a greenish dragon with a black spine, orange eyes and a blue belly emerged.
"A dragon? can't they come up with something a little more challenging?" asked Chris.
The monster roared and stomped the ground, causing a shockwave. The group jumped over and charged at the beast, which swung its tail at the group, knocking them down. Sophie jumped back up and launched a flurry of kicks and punches. Asbel slashed at the monster, which retaliated with its claw.
"Shockwave Swirl!" Aster directed his arte at the dragon.
"Arrow Volley!" Arianna followed up the attack. The monster staggered and spewed a fiery black breath at the group. Cheria healed the party with Pixie Circle while Asbel and Trent retaliated with sword slashes at the monster.
"Fireball!" Chris staggered the creature, which countered with another fiery breath and swung its tail.
Trent jumped over and countered by jabbing at the monster's face, only for it to jump back and swing its claw violently at him. Trent barely managed to get out of the way while Asbel powered up and unleashed a flurry of sword attacks"Expunging Sword!"
Succumbing to its wounds, the monster blackened, dissolved into eleth and vanished. Cheria gasped"Was that a guardian we just fought?"
"It must have been" murmured Sophie.
Stella walked towards the orb and touched it, closing her eyes in concentration as she felt its power flowing into her body. The shock of it caused her to fall back, prompting Aster to catch her before she hit the ground.
"Is she okay?" asked Asbel.
"I think so, the same thing happened back on Silverant" said Aster as a bright light flashed for a moment.
Flashback
"Oracle Ashtaire, I cannot condone this plan" said a male voice.
"It pained me to do this to our precious Thetis. But in this way, the dire threat posed by Archfiend Zarthantos may yet again be countered. If Thetis casts her final spell, she may obliterate the fiend and join us once again" murmured Ashtaire.
The man hesitantly nodded"I understand, my elder. But this does not make me feel any better about putting our daughter through this."
"Be still now, she's in a deep sleep until the reawakening, which will undoubtedly happen in another six-hundred years. Thetis may experience amnesia and lose her powers from this, which is why I sealed those in two separate orbs and scattered them to different worlds. But I hope that she will come to meet new friends upon her awakening. Thetis will not be so alone as you may think she'll be, your spirit will help guard hers for the time being" said Ashtaire, softly.
"Thank you, my divine oracle" said the man.
Flashback end
Okay, cliffhanger. I will continue this next chapter. Only three left. I'm not too confident that this chapter and the previous one make any sense, but I'm trying. Honestly, I'm thinking that I may have to redo previous chapters, once I finish the last three.
Please feel free to review.