Through Shadow Eyes :: The Tragedy of a Fallen Dawn
Draft 1.5

Notes: I don't own Tales of Symphonia nor any of the random references in my story.

Took 2 very very long months but I finally got this thing done. This is my take on the Mithos saga. I would like to thank Cyllya and MorwenLaicoriel on the forums for helping me with this.

Prologue

"Prepare for launch," a stern voice commanded over the carrier's intercom. Descending through a thick layer of clouds, two airships which bore a resemblance to giant whales appeared over a serene forest. As the "mouths" of the giant whales opened wide, it seemed like a beehive had just awakened. Inside the dark launching hangar, busy mechanics and pilots prepared row upon row of fighter aircraft to take off. Each of these sleek shaped, open-air Rheairds held a pair of cannons on the wings.

"Hey, you ready for this, Sora?" a pilot said, mounting his Rheaird ship. He had on thick fur flying gear and a pair of goggles attached to his helmet. A breathing device covered his mouth, which made it easier to fly at high altitudes.

"Sigmund, I've been ready since the war reached my town," a female pilot replied.

"All of you are the best we have, show them no mercy," a man in a white uniform said. He had short cut blonde hair and a rapier at his side; also there was a monocle over his right eye. "What we are about to do could turn the tide on this endless war."

"Aye aye, Lord Cornelius," all the pilots cried in a united shout.

Like a swarm of hornets leaving their nest, the Rheairds hovered to magnetic launch catapults and instantly sped out. One after another shot out of their mothership and moved into "V-formation" over the forests.

"May the gods forgive us for what we are about to do," Cornelius whispered as he watched his men charge forward into battle.

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A thousand years ago, the world of Aselia entered an age in which magitechnology, the fusion of magic and science, reigned supreme. Magitechnology extended the lifespan of an average human threefold and filled the skies with marvelous flying machines. While the humans and dwarves developed advance science, the elves researched magic on incredible levels. At the peak of this age, two great nations were formed. On the western continent was Macerdon, the kingdom of pureblood elves and humans. On the eastern continent stood the empire of Delthis, founded by the half-elf Desians with the cooperation of dwarves. Though tensions between the two nations had existed for over two hundred years, a single incident triggered the start of a devastating conflict lasting a millennium. Macerdon attacked a Desian village, seeking to apprehend a terrorist organization known as Enigma's Ghosts. Seeing the attack as a declaration of war, Delthis countered by sending its Rheaird fighters on a raid into the Macerdonian capital, Meltokio. Thus the Eternal War began, one which dragged on for so long that many forgot how it ever started.

Through Shadow Eyes

Chapter 1 :: Birth of Chaos

"Ready, master?" a young boy of 14 asked. He had on a white tunic and a thin flax vest. The boy's glistening gold hair grew in thick clumps down to his shoulders. Drawing his double-edged sword, the youth rushed at his master with the spirit of a tiger. An elven weapon, his blade shined in the sunlight with the brilliance of Mithril, a metal that glowed when danger lurked close by.

"As always, Mithos," his mentor said. While Mithos was a half elf, his teacher Kratos was a human who had mastered the art of swordplay. Kratos' dark brown hair hung over his face and covered his right eye. He wore light titanium armor and steel leg guards over his dark garments.

"Divine Storm Blade!" Mithos called.

"Divine Storm Blade!" Kratos countered.

Both mentor and apprentice dashed at each other over the wooden platforms suspended over the swamp near Ymir Forest. Because the pureblood elves forbade half-elves from entering the forest, the swamp provided an isolated place where they could train uninterrupted. Blades clashed together as the two crossed swords. In a split second, they exchanged positions.

"Well done, Mithos, you almost got me," Kratos said. Mithos looked to find a drop of blood on his hand. Kratos had given him a small scratch on his face with the Dragon's Tear, a light sword that boasted immense precision. "That should do it for today. You should probably get back to your house. Martel will be returning from the temple soon."

"All right, master. See you tomorrow," Mithos said, with a smile on his face. Kratos' eyes narrowed and he glanced around silently.

"Get down, Mithos!" Kratos yelled. A streak of light descended from the sky and destroyed a nearby bridge over the swamp. The roar of Deathcarriers, aircraft that served as motherships for Rheairds, resonated throughout the peaceful wetland.

"They're headed for..." Mithos said.

"Heimdall. Probably an attempt by Delthis Desians to destroy the last elven sanctuary in their land," Kratos said. More beams came from the sky and tore into the forest.

"Can't we do anything?" Mithos asked. Before Kratos could answer a beam darted into the bridge they stood on and sent Mithos plunging into the murky water.

Above, the two Deathcarriers commanded by Lord Cornelius launched all their Rheairds in an assault on the hamlet of Heimdall. Within a few moments of the attack, the elves showed that they protected their village well. Macerdonian airships, smaller than Deathcarriers but faster and more maneuverable, emerged from their hiding spot in the clouds. The two sides duked it out over the forest, raining flaming shrapnel into the treetops.

"Mithos, up!" Kratos urged. Struggling to climb out of the water, Mithos grabbed onto Kratos' hand and got pulled onto the platform, soaking wet. Suddenly, a shadow swept across the swamp floor. The tops of trees snapped as one of the Deathcarriers fell with flames licking its armor. Pieces of the airship tore apart when it came down, igniting parts of the forest into small infernos. Finally, the carrier crashed into the ground and exploded in a towering fireball.

"You all right, master?" Mithos said. Both of them had taken shelter behind a tough oak.

"I'm fine. We should be thankful that trees are more resilient than we are," Kratos remarked. "Let's get out of this marsh."

Although the raid damaged most of the bridges over the marsh, they waded through until they reached the western edge of the woods a short distance from the crash site.

"And just where do you think you are going with that half-elf, human?" someone said from the left side. Four pikemen that escaped from the airship stood in ambush.

"Master, we needn't get ourselves involved in this war," Mithos insisted.

"We have no choice here, as they seem intent on killing me," Kratos replied coldly. The Delthis Desian soldiers lunged forward together with their spears pointed forward. Kratos unsheathed his sword first, entering a duel with the leader. Mithos soon joined him in combat, following Kratos carefully and trying to imitate his master as best as he could.

"Razor's Edge," Mithos called, attacking an enemy with a pair of thrusts to the arms. The relatively weak attack made his opponent drop the heavy pike. Mithos sidestepped around him and dropped a heavy blow onto the enemy's head.

"Waterfall Blade!" Kratos' more powerful attack manifested itself in a strike to the head with the face of the sword. The shock knocked out the leader and left two soldiers remaining. "Mithos, Dragon's Encircle."

"Divine Storm Blade!"

"Divine Storm Blade!"

"Dragon's Encircle!"

Standing back-to-back, Mithos and Kratos sprinted in opposite directions on a circular path around the remaining foes. As they drew near, both slashed their blades at the same instant and dealt a blow similar to being grasped in a dragon's claw. When they came out of their unison attack, Mithos and Kratos switched places, just like in training. Their foes both received a devastating concussion that left them on the swamp floor out cold.

"One more battle, one more victory. Good work, Mithos," Kratos complimented.

"Thanks," Mithos said. He looked down at the leader of the soldiers and found package resting near him. On it was the words: ANGELUS ALPHA. Curious, he unwrapped it and found a red crystal amulet on a necklace chain. "What could this be, a magic charm?"

Like before, Kratos didn't have any time to respond before more beams thundered from the sky. Mithos took the crystal and both fled the scene in the direction of the Misty Cliffs. This time, Macerdon's Rheairds swooped down over the downed Deathcarrier to ensure they finished it. Like ravenous vultures circling over a fallen beast, the Rheairds flew over the forest, watching for any signs of life in the vessel.

"We have to get to the monastery to make sure my sister's not hurt," said Mithos.

"I shall accompany you," Kratos replied. The Misty Cliffs separated the Ymir region from the Misty Plains. Years of war had turned the plains from a rural countryside into a barren wasteland. The cliffs themselves were colossuses of red stone. In the times before magitechnology, traders that traveled the cliffs carved paths into the rock. At the apex of the cliffs rested Luna's Sanctuary, a temple where priests and clerics of the light spirit honed their magic skills and studied old texts.

Mithos took the lead while Kratos coolly walked behind his pupil. Once the worn path wound its way up above the forest, they caught a brief glimpse of the last moments of the battle. The Macerdonian airships were wolves tearing apart a fierce bison, the second Deathcarrier. Columns of black smoke rose from the heart of the airship, and then it finally gave way.

"Do you hear that, master?" Mithos asked. His keen ears picked up a soft humming noise from the sky. WHOOSH! A stray Rheaird from the fallen Deathcarrier slammed into the side of the mountain as it ran out of fuel. The explosion broke apart a section of the cliff above them, starting a rockslide. Kratos tried to grab onto Mithos, but a rock slammed Mithos and sent him tumbling off the cliff. Is this the end? No, I still have my sister to find. There's got to be some way out of this! Mithos thought. As he thought these words, Mithos felt warmth on his back. Great... I'm falling so fast that I'm burning up in the air. Wait, that's strange; I should have hit the ground by now. Mithos found himself levitating beyond the cliff, carried by a pair of rainbow colored translucent wings. "Look, master! I can fly!" Mithos called excitedly. He did a barrel roll in the air and touched down like a feather beside Kratos.

"This must be from that red gem we found," Kratos surmised.

"Aww. Come on, master. Your student learns he can fly and all you can say is 'this must be from the red gem we found'?" Mithos said.

"Come. If we are to get to the monastery, it isn't too far from here," Kratos answered, ignoring Mithos' comment. Late in the afternoon, they crossed the wooden bridge stretched over a deep gorge in the cliffs to the footsteps of Luna's Sanctuary. The monastery was a single floor oak building with a large onion dome at the top of a pagoda like roof. Over the door, the words "Sol tal Luna" were carved over the heavy bronze door.

"Nobody's here," Mithos observed. Under normal circumstances, plenty of clerics would be outside doing their work. Mithos took the large knocking mallet and banged two loud clangs on the door.