AUTHOR NOTES

Hi there, and welcome to my story!

If you've been in FFN's ToS community for a while, this might remind you of my previous story, A World Away. I deleted it from FFN a few years back for personal reasons. This is the start of a reboot for that story. I'm not a master wordsmith by any means, but I was also very green when I started back then, so I'm starting fresh. Some things will be the same as before, and others will change, but my goal is the same: to tell a good story.

Of course, if you didn't read AWA, this won't mean anything to you anyway, so let's get on with it! Obviously, I don't own any characters or elements from Tales of Symphonia, just my own OC's. With that obligatory disclosure out of the way... Please, enjoy! Shout out to my good friend Chang-Tong for beta reading for me!

It is a still spring night with a clear sky under a waxing moon. A low plateau stands over the dunes, with a compound nestled in a large hollow that stretches from its feet to its crown.

There is no sign of any life, except for one: a young man lying on the sand, a stone's throw away from the compound's walls. A few sets of footprints are clustered around the doors, and one set leads away into the night, but there are none going to or from the spot where he lies.

To the casual observer, or to the hungry scavenger, he might appear to be dead - abandoned in the desert, having arrived too soon at the end of his life's journey. But the truth is, his adventure is only just beginning.

Chapter 1: Blank Slate

Ow... My head... What happened? I can't see anything - it's pitch black. Where am I?

... Oh. It might help if I open my eyes.

With sluggish effort, I crack my eyes open. Still nothing. I frown and blink a few times; each time, my eyes open wider and I can see more clearly. Blotches of gray form and gradually shrink down into thousands - no, millions of tiny, bright white points.

Stars? I blink again, but the tiny lights are still there, peering down at me. That's weird. Why am I outside, lying in the... I move my hand along the ground beside me. It gives way easily to my touch - loose, grainy.

I shoot up into a sitting position. Or, well, I try to. A surge of throbbing pain on my forehead has me lying back down, gasping through clenched teeth.

I stay down for a little longer, breathing deeply, waiting for the pain to recede, if only just a bit. I can't just lie out here all night, and now I know what to expect.

Balling my hands into fists, I start pushing myself upright again. I move more slowly and prop myself with my arms this time. It doesn't make my skull feel much less like it's about to split open, but for some reason, it's more bearable.

Now that I'm sitting up, I can see the moon, about half full and hanging over the horizon before me. It's throwing just enough light for me to see, but what I see only adds to my confusion. I lift my still-clenched fist in front of me and watch the cascade that falls from between my fingers.

Sand? Well, this can't be right. What am I doing sleeping outside in the sand, all alone? Where's my family? How did I get here?

I glance around slowly, taking in my surroundings, looking for some kind of answer. Nothing but sand dunes as far as I can see. Sand, stars, the moon- oh, great, some cliffs standing over the sand, and a big ol' buildi- a building!

But it isn't one I recognize, no matter how much I look it up and down. Could I have come from in there if I've never seen it before? ... Well, maybe. I can't remember how I wound up asleep in the sand, so I must have forgotten this building, too. Man, whatever hit me, it must have been worse than I thought... At any rate, I won't figure out what happened if I just stay out here. Might as well save the questions for when there's someone around who can answer them. Hopefully my family is in there, but I'd also settle for someone who can tell me where we are.

It's a bit of a struggle, but I get my feet under me and stand up as quickly as I can. I lose my balance a grand total of three times on my way to the door: twice to the sand shifting under my feet, and once trying to get my foot on top of the first of two metal steps at the door's base. That last one actually banged up my knees and wrists a bit. Ah, well. Maybe it'll distract me from my head for a bit.

... Nope, not even a little. I wince and feel my forehead. The sheer size of the goose egg sitting there makes me feel queasy, and when I look at my hand, there's a bit of red on it. Jeesh, how long have I been out here? Time to find out.

I reach the large metal door and note that there doesn't seem to be any door knob or handle anywhere. I rap my knuckles on it a few times. It feels and sounds pretty solid; my knocking isn't as loud as I'd have expected. I still decide to give it a few seconds of silence before I try again, harder and louder this time. Still nothing.

"Hello?" I call out, knocking yet again. "I think I got locked out by mistake."

Nothing.

"Can anyone hear me? HELLO!"

I don't know how long I end up standing there. My knocks gradually turn into pounding that bruises my knuckles and forces me to switch hands. My calls become full-throated shouts that ring in my own ears and leave my throat feeling a little raw. It all goes completely unanswered.

At this point, I'm panting and feeling pretty defeated. I slump forward against the door, the smooth metal cold against my face. Maybe this place is empty, and my family isn't here after all. But…

I peer over my shoulder at the sandy emptiness behind me. Where are they, then? And how did I wind up out here, alone in the middle of nowhere?

Maybe I was abducted or something? Yeah… yeah, that might be it - and it would explain the pain in my head. Knocked out with a hit to the head, snatched and carted off into the desert to be-... just left out here. Hmm. Robbed, maybe?

I straighten up, shivering a little, and feel my pockets. No, they're not empty. There's a phone, a wallet, keys, a pocket knife, earbuds… Probably wasn't robbed, then. Nice to rule that out, I guess, but it still leaves me lost and alone in a desert with no idea how I got here.

"You're not alone."

I nearly jump out of my skin. My heart hammering, I whip my gaze around. "Who's there?!"

The only sound is the sigh of a breeze on the dunes and my own throbbing pulse in my ears.

… I think I'll chalk that one up to getting hit in the head. Jeesh…

Right, where was I? Something about not having been robbed, since I still have stuff in my pockets.

"... OH!"

I fish my phone out of my pocket. It might be a long shot, but if there's service here, I can call somebody. Just need to- um… I just… uhh…

How do I turn this thing on again?

There are three buttons along the phone's edge, but none of them are doing anything when I press them. There's something I'm supposed to do to turn it on, but… maybe the battery's dead?

I drop the phone back into my pocket with a huff. Okay. So if there's no one here, and I can't call anyone, then… I can't really stay put, can I? The air already feels cooler than it did when I woke up- but maybe "came to" would be more apt. In any case, I don't know when the sun went down, and I don't know how much longer the night will last. Ergo, I don't know how cold it will get out here, and I don't like the idea of waiting around this place in the heat of the day. Besides, there's no knowing when people might come here. I could end up a shriveled husk before anyone finds me.

But are my chances any better out there?

… Yeah, they probably are. I should be able to cover more ground while it's dark out than in the heat of the day. Besides, if there's anyone out here looking for me, if they have any light at all with them, I'll be able to see them from a long way off and get to them long before they get around to finding me.

So that's it, then. I need to get out of here. Now the only question is, which way should… Ah, screw it. Everything looks the same out there.

With all that in mind, I quickly scan the horizon one more time, pick a direction, and start walking. Off the metal porch, away from the building, into the wilderness.

Breathe in. Step. Breathe out. Step. Breathe in. Wrap my arms tighter. Step. Breathe out. Step. And stop.

I take a moment to catch my breath and take a look around. I've reached the top of a fairly large sand dune and can see most of the landscape between me and the horizon. Everywhere I look, there's nothing but the rolling sea of sand I've found myself in. Even the building and the cliffs surrounding it are out of sight, and except for a set of footprints stretching in more or less a straight line behind me, the desert looks untouched. A trackless wilderness under a brilliant night sky.

It's every bit as lonely as it is beautiful. Meanwhile, though, a few other, more practical problems are cropping up.

For starters, I've been at this for hours, and sand makes walking harder than it needs to be. My legs are aching, my throat is feeling dry, and honestly, I was a bit light-headed to begin with. I genuinely don't know how long I can keep this up, especially once the sun rises. Thankfully, the night air is only a bit chilly, but judging by that, this place will be sweltering tomorrow morning. There hasn't been any sign of daylight yet, which is probably an okay thing right now, but there hasn't been any sign of anything else, either.

On that note, it's dawning on me now that the dunes aren't just a pain to walk up and down over and over. Anything could be lurking just on the other side of one. What if there are people behind that one off to the side? I could have passed right by a camp or something and not even noticed it. The only way I could ever be sure not to miss anything, or anyone, would be to check every side of every dune of this entire desert.

Forget that. I'll cook out here for sure if I try it. Ugh, so much for being able to see anyone from a long way off… Well, staying put isn't an option at this point. I'd better get moving.

I start forward down the slope of the dune. One step, then another, and then-

The ground bucks violently under my feet.

"Whoa-OOF!"

Auburn hair bristles as the mercenary whirls around to face the direction the sound came from. Matching eyes narrow at the hill of sand beside their camp; it's directly between him and the source of the noise.

Not that it can be helped. Choosing a spot with a better vantage point would have left them too exposed, too visible to unfriendly eyes. Besides, Kratos doesn't need to see the stranger to have an idea of where they are. Whoever that voice belonged to is about fifty yards away by the sound of it.

"Hm…? Kratos? What is it?"

Kratos doesn't even look at Raine as his hand moves to the hilt of his sword. He ignores the sound of the other sleepers stirring as he stares intently. "Someone's out there."

Just like that, I'm tumbling down the hill. I lose track of up and down pretty quickly, especially once a bit of sand gets in my eye and I close them both. At some point, I land on my back and slide to a stop. A groan escapes me as I sit up and open my eyes again. Or eye, rather - the sand irritates my left eye, and I can't focus on anything until I close it again. I look back up the hill I just fell down.

The sand is shifting in a few places on the slope, falling away as something moves under it. At first, it's hard to tell what they are… and then they raise their tails.

And now there are scorpions as big as large dogs scuttling toward me.

"AH!"

Even the bleary-eyed Lloyd snaps wide awake at that shout, and he shoots up to his feet with his swords in hand. "That can't be good!"

Kratos' free arm shoots out in front of Lloyd to stop the teen before he can charge headlong up and over the dune. "We're not far from the Desian base," the mercenary reminds him in a low voice. "It could be a trap."

"But what if it isn't?" Colette asks, her tone tinged with worry.

"Professor Sage," Kratos instructs without moving his gaze, "you and Genis stay here with the Chosen. Lloyd, follow my lead." He moves his arm and advances quickly and quietly up the slope, with Lloyd close behind.

I don't even wait to see how many there are. I scramble back up to my feet, my sore head and tired legs completely forgotten. It seems to take a few seconds, but in my frenzied state it's probably just one or fewer. The instant I have some semblance of footing, I take off sprinting down the hill.

I glance back over my shoulder after a few moments and skid to a stop. Even running in sand, it looks like the scorpions are a bit slower than me. They're a more comfortable distance behind me now, but they're still chasing me. Jeesh, how far do I have to run before they just give up?!

I take the briefest moment to rub the sand away enough to use both eyes, then turn away and keep running. What is even happening right now?! First I wake up in a strange place with no clue how I got here, and now there are giant bugs that will probably eat me if they catch up to me! It's almost like- well, it has to be a dream, right? My head has been feeling kinda fuzzy since I came to. The sweat, the fear, the feeling that I can't run fast enough - it's gotta be a dream!

But no, it can't be. Waking up with a pain in my head might be one thing, but I've banged up my knees and my hands since then. The pain from falling on the steps and beating on the door is real. The sand in my eye and my mouth is real. I can't take the chance that the scorpions behind me aren't.

At least the things can't run very fast. I don't know what I'd do if- "AAGH!"

The ground suddenly shifts again, but this time it's right in front of my foot, and once more I'm sent sprawling facefirst in the sand. My head erupts in pain as it hits, and for a moment, all I can do is yell into the sand - and then lift my head to take a breath. Only then does the fear take over again, and my gaze darts back over my shoulder as I start scrambling away again.

Sure enough, another scorpion is emerging from the spot where I tripped. Shaking off the soil, chasing me, grabbing at my foot - I feel it clip my shoe.

"AH! NO! GET BACK!"

And it does. There's a flash of lightning, and it flinches and turns to the side. Which is so incredibly baffling that I freeze on the spot and watch it go.

I have to push myself up onto my knees to see where it's headed, and relief and unease wash over me in equal measure.

Relief, because there are two guys there, coming around the side of another sand dune and attacking the scorpions. Unease, because they're both holding swords in their hands: one with a sword in each hand, the other with a shield on his off-hand.

Two guys running around the desert at night with swords and shields? Kind of weird, and honestly a bit disturbing, but-

I watch as the two-sword guy rushes toward the scorpion that was just attacking me. He flips one sword around to drag against the sand for a moment, and swings it forward and up with a shout. At the same time, a burst of light seems to fly out from the sword, traveling along the ground and slamming into the giant bug.

Right about the same time, an orange glow catches my eye, and I turn to see three shining flares fly from sword-and-shield to the other three scorpions.

At this point, I can only watch dumbly as the two of them hack the bugs to pieces. Lost in an unfamiliar landscape with giant bugs and magic swordsmen? I mean… this has to be a dream, doesn't it? A hallucination? With the way my head is hurting, I could even be in a coma. But the pain, the chill of the night air, the grains of sand going from cold to warm the longer I'm touching them… All signs were pointing to it being real before, so which is it?

Well, if it's not real, then it shouldn't hurt anything to act as if it is, right? On the other hand, if I assume it's all in my head and turn out to be wrong - I could end up actually dead.

That settles it. As crazy and confusing as this all looks… until I have a good reason not to, I have to assume this is really happening.

So I stay where I am as the swordsmen finish off the scorpions, then make their way towards me. I don't try to get up; in fact, I let myself fall back down a little, sitting on my knees with my calves between me and the sand. I don't know if I should stand up or drop down instead, but I can't bring myself to give it much thought as they draw nearer.

The one with two swords has sheathed them at his sides, I notice. He reaches me first; the moon is just bright enough for me to get a good look at him.

He's pretty young-looking in the face, even though he has the height and build of at least a teenager. Maybe it's the eyes - wide and brown, and full of worry at the moment. And oh my gosh, his hair. I mean, I have a pretty stubborn cowlick myself, but there should be no way for that much hair to stick up so high. Bedhead, maybe? It's the middle of the night, after all.

Crap, now I feel bad for waking them up- wait, no I don't! I'm lost, and stranded, and injured and cold, and I was almost bug bait just now! No. No, I don't feel bad for waking them. But I do need to thank them.

Two-Swords draws near and offers me a hand up. "Hey, are you alright?" Yep, definitely sounds like a teenager.

I take the hand and let him help me to my feet. I don't answer right away, instead glancing back up the hill to where four scorpions the size of labradors are lying motionless. So freaking… I can't suppress a shudder.

Then I notice the sword-and-shieldsman. He came over as well, but he's standing a bit further away. He has a whole different case of bedhead going on, with reddish-brown hair somehow both standing straight up in places and covering part of his face at the same time. But the one eye I can see, the expression he's wearing - there's a hardness and a sharpness there, like if I'm not careful he could actually cut me open with that glare. Even from here, he clearly has a good few inches on me in height. Unlike his younger friend, he also hasn't put his weapons away.

I gulp reflexively, and I return my attention to the kid who helped me up. Oh, hey, he's like half a head shorter than me. "No, I… I don't think I'm alright," I admit shakily. "But I'm not dead, either, and I have you both to thank for that."

I see the kid's eyes move up from mine, and he winces and nods. "Yeah, it looks like you got hit pretty hard. We should ask Professor Sage to look at that for you."

The big guy speaks up before I can ask who Professor Sage is. "Can you tell us what happened to you, or what you're doing out here?" Well, at least he doesn't sound hostile, even if his tone is pointed.

I open my mouth to answer… and then close it and look down, shaking my head. How do I even try to explain what I don't know or understand myself?

"I, uh… I'm not sure-"

"What was that?" the big guy cuts in, moving closer. I'm not sure if steely or flinty would better describe the look he's giving me. "Speak up. Or is there someone else who can speak for you?"

Right. I take a breath and try to steel myself. "I don't think so, no," I breathe. I can't tell if my voice is shaking from the cold, from nervousness, or if it's because my brain is finally catching up to everything that's happening.

"You don't think so?" the kid asks in what sounds like genuine confusion.

I scratch the back of my head nervously, but press on as best I can. "This is going to sound kind of… stupid. But I don't really know where I am or how I got here. I woke up in this desert a few hours ago, I think, and I've been walking ever since."

"Then what's the last thing you remember before that?" the big guy asks, finally (thankfully) sheathing his sword at his side.

The last thing before that? Well, that would be… um… I was…

"Who are you? Where did you come from?"

Who am I? Well, I'm…

The pain in my forehead erupts. I fall to my knees again, clutching at the bump and sucking in a breath, trying my best to contain a yell or a scream.

"Whoa, easy!"

"Breathe. Concentrate on breathing."

I didn't even realize I was holding my breath. I force the air back out of my lungs with a huff, and then fill them again. Then out, and back in. Out, and back in.

The pain subsides without me noticing it at first. When it goes down to more or less where it was before, I lower my hand and give a nod, still panting.

It's while I'm climbing back up to my feet, with the kid's help again, that I figure out what's happening.

"I don't remember." Saying it out loud makes my stomach drop and sends a tingle up my spine that makes me shudder.

"You don't remember what?" he asks.

"Anything… How I got here. Where I'm from. My…"

Oh. Oh, no. Oh, shoot. Oh no, crap, crap crap crud, no, NO!

"I can't even remember my name. Everything before I woke up here, it's… it's gone."