Chapter 26: Flanoir the Snowy City, and the Celsius' Tear
Man:(Approaches Link) Ah, excuse me! By any chance, would you have any Celsius' Tear?
Llink: Celsius' Tear? What's that?
Man: Celsius' Tear is a famous ice flower in Flanoir. It has the mysterious power to freeze anything.
Link: Freeze anything huh…I don't know of anything like that.
Man: I see…If you find any, please let me know. I'll pay whether you ask.
Link: Not a problem,.
Man: Also, be careful when handling the Celsius' Tear. If you touch it directly, you'll be badly burned.
Lloyd: Then how do we get it?
Man: You'll be fine if you touch it with Penguinist Gloves. Ask the old man at the Snow White accessory shop about it.
Link: Alright, thank you for the information.
(Later, in the Snow White Accessory Shop)
Old Man: Hmm? You want to know about the Penguinist Gloves? Penguinist Gloves are nice, warm mittens made from quills of Penguinists, which dwells in the ice caves. Hmm, let me see. If you had three Penguinist Quills, I could make a pair for you.
Genis: Are these what you need?
Old Man: Oh! You have three Peguinist Quills! I'll make you a pair of Penguinist Gloves. Give the quills to me.
(Genis gives the quills to the Old Man)
Old Man: Oh! Good, good! This is my first job in a while! Now, just wait there a minute.
(After a few moments, the gloves were ready)
Old Man: There, it's done. It's a pair of Penguinist Gloves. Please, take them.
(After receiving the gloves, the team stocks up on supplies and head off to the Temple of Ice, Inside Lloyd uses the Ring Device, making the Sorcerer's Ring shoot Ice)
Lloyd: Whoa! The ring suddenly got cold!
Genis: I bet you can use the ring's cold power to freeze anything.
Lloyd: Okay, then let's test it on you.
Genis: Lloyd!
Lloyd: I'm kidding, I'm kidding.
(The team Spots the Celsius' Tear on a high cliff, after a few minutes of climbing they reach the flower)
Link: So this is Celsius' Tear?
Genis: It must be. Now we just need to use the Peguinist Gloves.
Lloyd: Yeah. (Handing the gloves to Link) Here Link
(Link uses the glove to pick up the flower. Now the team move on to the next area, and come across a large lake, with no way across.)
Zelos: What do we do now?
Lloyd: If we freeze the lake, it looks like we can walk to the other side. The coldness of Celsius' Tear might be able to freeze this lake. (Lloyd uses the Celsius' Tear and the lake freezes) Great. It worked just like we thought. Now we can get to the other side.
(On the otherside of the lake the team comes across 4 moveable pillars)
Lloyd: (Reading a Sign Posted in front of a closed door)The answer lies in the place with a view?
Raine: It must be a clue to opening this door.
Lloyd: Where's this place with a view?
Sheena: Right up there most likely.
Link:Stay here. (Uses his hook-shot and climbs to the upper ledge). Yeah this is the spot.
(Following Link's directions, the team solves the puzzle of the totems causing the door to open. Inside...)
Voice of Celsius: You who posses the right of the pact. I am Celsius, one who is bound to Mithos, the hero.
Sheena: I seek a pact with Celsius. I ask that thou annulst thy pact with Mithos, and establish a new pact with me.
Voice of Celsius: You seek a pact with me? How amusing. Let's see if you can handle me.
(The team fights and Defeats Celsius and Fenrir, after the battle))
Celsius: Excellent. It would appear that my freezing chill is but a summer's breeze to you. Now, speak your vow. A vow worthy of my power!
Sheena: For the sake of creating a place in which the two worlds no longer must sacrifice one another, I ask that thou grant me thy power!
Celsius: Understood. Use my power well.
(Suddenly, Efreet appears)
Efreet: Celsius…it has been a long time.
Celsius: …I never thought I'd have to see your face again.
Efreet: While we may be opposing forces, must you avoid me so earnestly?
Celsius: What choice do we have? We are harmful to one another.
Efreet: Then perhaps we should be joyous that our mana has been severed.
Celsius: …Who knows. What is clear, though, is that this situation will affect the entire world.
Efreet: Indeed.
Celsius: All we can do now is trust in the pact-maker.
Efreet: Yes. We leave everything in your hands.
(Efreet and Celsius leave, and the team turn to leave)
Lloyd: Just one more to go…
Colette: Do you really think Sylvarant and Tethe'alla will be cut off from each other forever?
Zelos: We're gonna do this regardless, right?
Lloyd: …Yeah.
Genis: But if the Rheairds stop working after we form the last pact, we're going to be stuck in one world or the other.
Sheena: The people of Mizuho wish to move to Sylvarant. There has to be something we can do..
.
Raine: Hmm. I suggest we do some investigation on the effects of separating the worlds before we form the pact with the final Summon Spirit.
(Suddenly, another earthquake shook the area)
Regal: It seems as though the shaking has increased in magnitude.
Presea: The time between the severing of the mana flow and the resulting earthquake has decreased as well.
Link: I guess the worlds are struggling to split apart.
(Just as the team exit the Temple, they see a large fire off in the distance)
Zelos: What's going on?
Presea: That's…the direction of Ozette…
Regal: …Yes.
Genis: What could it be? There's a staggering amount of mana flowing from that lightning…
Raine: I have a bad feeling about this.
Lloyd: Let's go!
(The Team make their way to Ozette, which is already caught up in flames)
Colette: No!…
Presea: …This is…horrible.
Link: What happened here?
Colette: Look!
Genis: Lloyd! Look!
Colette: Look out!
(Suddenly some burning logs fall near an unconscious boy. Lloyd approaches him)
Lloyd: What's wrong, are you okay?
(Colette, Genis and Presea approach)
Link: I think it would be best if we leave, like NOW!
(Later,, safely near Presea's house.)
Lloyd: What the hell happened here?
Boy: …I don't really know. Suddenly, lightning fell from the sky, and angels attacked the village.
Raine: Angels?
Boy: They had wings. Those with wings are angels…right?
Lloyd: Dammit, it must have been the Cruxis!
Link: … Damn Cruxis.
Presea: So angels destroyed the village…
Regal: Presea, are you okay?
Presea: …I'm fine. But…this unsettling irritation…is this…anger?
Zelos: I'm impressed you survived. Are you the only survivor? What's your name?
Mithos: My name is Mithos. I lived by myself on the outskirts of the village, so…
Lloyd: You have the same name as Mithos, the hero!
Genis: …Wait, are you a half-elf?…
Mithos: I…I…no.
Raine: Relax. You can tell, can't you? We have the same blood flowing through our veins as you do.
Mithos: You're half-elves, too? But you're with humans!
Colette: It's okay, we're all friends.
Mithos: …Humans and half-elves as friends? You're lying!
Genis: No, it's true. My sister and I are part of this group.
Raine: Relax.
Mithos: …Y…yeah, but…
Regal: Your reaction is understandable. I've heard that the village of Ozette is particularly known for its contempt for half-elves. If you lived an isolated life in this village, you must have suffered.
(Suddenly, Altessa and Tabatha appear)
Altessa: What happened here?…
Lloyd: You're Altessa, right? What are you doing here?
Altessa: I saw the lightning of judgment fall towards this village. But what in the world…
Presea: It was the work of Cruxis angels…
Altessa: Presea! You've regained your true self? How could they do this? Is this their punishment for failing the experiment?…
Sheena: What do you mean, punishment?…
Altessa: …Nothing. It's nothing!
(Altessa runs away)
Lloyd: Wait!
(Lloyd attempts to run after Altessa, but Tabatha blocked his way.)
Tabatha: THE MASTER BELIEVES THAT IT IS HIS FAULT THAT OZETTE WAS DESTROYED.
Colette: Altessa is connected to Ozette?
Tabatha: …YES. EXCUSE ME. I AM WORRIED ABOUT THE MASTER.
Presea: I'm…going to follow him.
Lloyd: Yeah. (to Mithos) Mithos, you should come with us.
Mithos: But I'm a half-elf and…
Link: Don't worry about that. There is nothing to fear if you come with us
Lloyd: Yeah. That doesn't matter. Besides, what are you going to do if you stay here
and the angels come back?
Genis: Lloyd's right! Let's all go together!
(Later, the team leave Ozette and approach Altessa's house)
Altessa: …I was a craftsman who worked for Cruxis.
Lloyd: So you're on the side of the angels…of Yggdrasill!
Altessa: You know Lord Yggdrasill?
Lloyd: Know him? Because of him, Sylvarant and Tethe'alla were twisted into worlds that fight for each other's mana!
Altessa glances at Colette.
Altessa: That's a Cruxis Crystal… …I see. You must be the Chosen of the declining world. This may be fate. …What happened to Ozette was my fault…
Presea: What…do you mean?
Altessa: I came to hate the work I did, for it was indirectly taking people's lives. I ran from Cruxis and had myself in Ozette. But I was found by a Desian named Rodyle. He ordered me to create a Cruxis Crystal in exchange for my life.
Zelos: So that means that the research on Presea was organized by Rodyle and the Pope, who then had you and Kate carry it out?
Altessa: …Right. Rodyle, while a Desian in service of Cruxis, was also planning to revolt against Cruxis. Because I supported him it that…Lord Yggdrasill grew angry and he… He destroyed the town of Ozette, which had protected me!
Regal: So this is how Presea…this girl who reflects my distant memories… …This is how she was caught up in this… This is terrible beyond words.
Altessa: I'm sorry. I can never apologize enough, but…apologizing is all I can do now.
Presea: …My time…will not come back. …The people of the village and Daddy will not come back.
Genis: Presea…
Altessa: I'm sorry…
Presea: …Don't apologize. Even if you apologize…I can't forgive you right now.
(Altessa turns and goes inside the house)
Tabatha: PRESEA…I BELIEVE YOUR LOSS HAS BEEN GREAT. BUT PLEASE, DO NOT LOSE
YOURSELF AS WELL.
Mithos: I…can understand Presea's feelings a little. Some things…never came back… Even if he apologizes…even if you want to forgive, you can't control those feelings.
Regal: Not being forgiven…that may be punishment.
Link: Forgiving or not forgiving …that's no punishment.
Zelos: Ah, well, anyway, let's not get into a philosophical discussion right now. Presea doesn't need to force herself to forgive him or anything. Let's just think about what we can do now.
Raine: Yes, you're right. As for me, I think we should take this opportunity to ask Altessa all he knows about Cruxis. We currently don't have enough information. Wouldn't you agree?
Lloyd: Yeah…Presea, would you rather wait here?
Presea: …No…I'll listen as well.
(The team follows Tabatha inside the house, and speak with Altessa)
Altessa: Do you have business…with me?
Lloyd: Can you tell us about Cruxis?
Altessa: …It'll be a long story.
Colette: That's okay.
(Later…)
Altessa: …Cruxis is an organization made up almost entirely of half-elves. There are a large number of dwarves besides me involved as well.
Lloyd: So there are other dwarves besides you and my Dad?
Altessa: Their objectives are to begin the Age of Half-elves and the revival of Martel. For that purpose, they make use of the Church of Martel and try to fuse the Chosen with Martel's consciousness.
Genis: But if that's true, then why do the Desians try to kill the Chosen?
Altessa: Exspheres and Cruxis Crystals awaken when stimulated by people's fear and suffering. Also by their combat instincts. That is why the Desians disrupt the declining world. In order to facilitate the angel transformation, they
deliberately put the Chosen in danger.
Regal: Rodyle…what is he scheming?
Altessa: The revival of the Mana Cannon. He obtained the plans to the Mana Cannon somehow and is constructing it in Sylvarant. He's also the master of his own ranch. It's likely he's using his captives in the construction of the cannon. Once it's complete, he probably intends to build his own empire.
Presea: How can he make everyone suffer for such a thing?…
Sheena: Say, then, is it true that Yggdrasill made the two worlds?
Altessa: Well, that's how I heard it. That he anchored the two worlds, which are never to come in contact, via four mana links, and placed the Great Seed in the center between them to guard it.
Lloyd: …The Great Seed? Where have I heard that before?…
Mithos: It come sup in the stories of the hero, Mithos. That's what people called the soul of Mithos, who died on the Holy Ground of Kharlan after the close of the Ancient War.
Genis: …Wait a minute. That's true, but… Why does the same legend of Mithos from Sylvarant also exist over here?
I've been wondering about this for a while now. There are two Holy Grounds of Kharlan, two Towers of Salvation, and now the legend of Mithos is the same, too?
Altessa: It seems it's possible to travel between the two worlds at theirpoles. I don't know where those poles would be, but perhaps that person we know as Mithos used that to travel between the worlds?
Link: Hmm... Could it be..?
Raine: …Bipolar…yes…that's it…
Zelos: Professor? What is it?
Raine: This is my theory. Perhaps the Ancient War was in fact a war between Tethe'alla and Sylvarant, and the hero Mithos arranged the truce that ended the war.
Lloyd: And so that would be why the legend of Mithos exists in both worlds.
Raine: Yes. And if we assume that one of the two poles is the Holy Ground of Kharlan, then we can understand the meaning of the existence of two Holy Grounds. That's the door between the two worlds.
Regal: …Yes, that makes sense. I've heard many ideas regarding the bipolar structure of the worlds, but yours works from a logical standpoint.
Raine: What other ideas have there been?
Regal: There is a legend passed down in Altamira about something called the Otherworldly Gate. Some say that, that is a pole.
Raine: The Otherworldly Gate…
Colette: So what is the Great Seed?
Altessa: I don't know that either. But Lord Yggdrasill said that it was more
important than his life.
Lloyd: …I can't wrap my head around all of this stuff at once…
Link: I'm leaving for awhile. I … need to catch up on some sword training... I will see you all tomorrow.
(Link leaves house and goes training the the Gaoracchia forest)
Sheena: Link?
Altessa: You all must be tired by now. Why don't you rest here for the night? (to Mithos) Mithos…right? If you don't have anywhere else to go, you should stay here at my place for a while.
Mithos: Are you sure that's okay? I'm a half-elf…
Altessa: The only ones living here are Tabatha, who I made, and me, a dwarf.
Colette: You made Tabatha?
Altessa: Yes. Tabatha is an automated doll. So having a half-elf here isn't a
problem at all.
Colette: Tabatha is a…doll…
Mithos: …Okay.
Lloyd: We'll stay here for the night, too. (to Presea) Is that okay with you, Presea?
Presea: …Please don't worry about me.
Tabatha: THEN I SHALL PREPARE DINNER.
Mithos: Then tonight, Genis and Raine will be here, too, right?
Genis: Yeah! Let's play together! …You're the first half-elf friend I've had!
Mithos: You'll…be my friend?
Genis: Of course!
Mithos: …Thank you!
Regal: Anyone seen Link?
Zelos: Huh? He was just here a few minutes ago.
Sheena: He said something about going out to do some training, …Then he just up and leaves. I'm worried...
Raine: Sheena, just calm down and stay here, I'm sure he will be fine. He is an excellent swordsman and has strong magic.
Mithos: He can use magic? Does that mean he's a Half-Elf too?
Sheena: No … He's Hylian. He comes from a world far from Tethe'alla or Sylvarant. (To herself) Link …. what's wrong?
(Later that night Link returns)
Link: It seems I came back too late. Ah well, I'll just sleep out here.