Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia. As if that wasn't obvious enough.

Tales of Symphonia

Rise of Niflheim

Chapter 1: The Avatar

Deep in the woods a scream is heard, followed by a thud. The screams point of origin is a green Knight of Meltokio, and around him are several of his fallen comrades. Each knight is covered in several gashes, most of which ripped right through their armor, each one oozing blood. In the center of the carnage is a lone figure dressed in a very dark navy blue uniform. He looks very out of place, his clothing being unique in the world of Symphonia due to its material. It has many nylon straps on it, several having hooks attached so he could hold various things, though each hook is devoid of anything useful. Anyone that might look at him would think of an assassin from his looks. On the shoulder of his suit is an insignia, an eagle holding a serpent and scroll behind a shield, it looks very faded and is in a language long forgotten. Slowly, our figure stands up, his suit covered in the blood of those surrounding him. A better look of him shows he if fairly well built, though the uniform covers almost every part of his body. He has dark black hair, and deep red eyes. His face is fair, showing no scars or any sign of injury in battle. Impressive, considering what he had just been through. Continuing to examine our lone figure, his weapons come into attention. They are Katars, strapped to his fore arm. They are, however, unique in both their design and material. The design is set into two parts: The silver blade, and the black case. The case of the weapons hold the blade, which is able to retract into the case, and also holds the bolt dispenser as a small hole to the side of where the blade is sheathed. The blades themselves look very dangerous, with searing red runes engraved upon their surface. They are made of a nigh indestructible material that is so slick even the thickness of blood slides of them, leaving the blades spotless though they had just bitten into flesh. Looking around, he grunts in annoyance. These knights had been following him for a while...they kept attacking on and off. But he had managed to kill every party that tried to capture him. They usually came in groups of three or four, nothing he couldn't handle. But it was still annoying. He turned back to the path he had been following and walked out of the clearing and back into the forest, heading towards a mountain pass that lead towards the valley where the Linkite Tree resided. It was a secluded valley, and he hoped he would not be bothered there. As he walked, he felt a voice in the depths of his mind growl out.

(private thoughts shall be used as 'text' and thoughts being communicated to someone will be used with text)

Syn, I grow tired of this. We must find the summoner soon. Its impatience was obvious. Syn narrowed his eyes.

'Yes...I know...' The voice didn't seem satisfied.

Then quicken your pace... Sighing, Syn sped up, quickly covering the ground to the pass, then past it and into the forest surrounding the Linkite Tree. On entering the forest again he realized he would have to clean his clothing before getting to Mizuho...a blood stained stranger would probably not go over well with the locals. After a brief stop to clean his blood-stained clothes, he finally found his target: the newly relocated Mizuho. It had not taken that long to find for him, though he had an idea of were he was going...the summoner was almost like a beacon to him, her link to the summon spirits drawing him near her. As he stepped out of the forest and approached the village, he could sense the eyes watching him. He smirked, thinking of how the ninjas around him probably thought that they would have an easy advantage if they attacked him. If they only knew. However, he was not here to alienate the summoner...so that meant he couldn't kill the ninjas. A pair of such ninjas now approached him, and though they showed no sign of attacking he could tell they were prepared to an offensive if need be.

"You there. Who are you that approaches our village?" It was obvious that this ninja was curious. There is only one way by land into this valley, and it was hidden very well.

"My name is Syn...I am..." He stopped for a moment...he wasn't sure what he could call himself to these people. Certainly not what he really was. Not wanting to hesitate any longer, he continued his sentence.

"...a friend. It is urgent that I speak with your Summoner. The fate of your world depends on it." The two ninjas looked to each other, not sure whether to believe this stranger before them. After a moment they decided to allow him entry.

"Very well...we will ask Chief Sheena if she will speak with you...however, if she denies your request you will leave immediately. You will also be escorted through the village two of ours...I recommend you do not cause any trouble." With that two other ninjas moved towards him and escorted him to the village gates. Syn smiled politely to the two in front of him, though it to them it seemed a look filled hate. They shifted uncomfortably before moving back towards the village, perhaps now doubting they acceptance of him to see their chief, but keeping true to their word. As he waited at the gate for the word of acceptance or denial from the Summoner, he noticed that more ninjas seemed to have discreetly come into position around him. He, however, ignored them. Soon the Summoner emerged from the chiefs building, coming to stand before him. Looking the girl over, he felt himself feel something he hadn't felt in a long time. This girl reminded him of someone...someone very dear to him from years past. But his outer demeanor did not change, and the feeling passed quickly. The girl looked rather annoyed, but kept a professional air about her. She eyed him curiously...she could sense something out of place with him, but was not sure what it was. He could see it in her eyes...they were full of caution.

"What kind of danger is it that you say threatens our world?" Syn smiled slightly, and reached into one of his pockets. He chuckled to himself as he saw a few ninjas flinch with anticipation of an attack. Slowly, he withdrew a rolled up document and handed it to Sheena. Cautiously, the summoner took the paper and unrolled up. On reading it her eyes went wide. Looking up to Syn, she question him.

"Where did you get this?" "From the hands of knights looking for this very village." replied Syn. Sheena was obviously confused. She read the parchment again in disbelief. The document detailed an order from the King of Meltokio for the death of Lloyd, Collette, Presea, Raine, and Genis. It also called for the capture of her, Regal, and someone named Syn. It also contained orders for the destruction of Mizuho. Another aspect that made it even more confusing was that it was signed not only by the king, but by the former Chosen of Tethe'alla, Zelos. Looking back up to Syn, she decided to ask him the location of the knights.

"Where are these knights? I want proof that what you say is true. You cant expect me to believe that this isn't some kind of trick." Syn chuckled at her words. But he had all the proof she could want.

"Look south from the pass that enters into this valley. The forest there will contain the corpses of these knights. There should be four total. They have been attacking me on and off in an effort to keep me from finding you. These knights, however, were seeking your village as well. They know it is in this area, but are not sure where. It is only a matter of time before they find you." Sheena whispered something to a ninja near her, who promptly gathered two others and ran off towards the direction Syn indicated the corpses would be in. Sheena still looked a little shocked by what she learned, not wanting to believe that Zelos would want to kill his former companions. She wanted to shout to this stranger that he was lying, that Zelos would never do something like this. She had never really liked Zelos all that much, and even after she learned that he had leaked information on their group once his later actions had earned her respect for him if nothing else. Syn, seeing her distress, decided it would be better to talk to her once she found he wasn't lying and the information had sunk in. He didn't want to have to deal with someone that couldn't accept this turn of events.

"Summoner Sheena, perhaps it would be best if we talked once your comrades have verified the corpses and you are ready to talk. But I recommend you don't take too long...the rest of your friends are also in danger, though they probably don't know it." Sheena, who had been deep in thought of why Zelos would decided to kill his former allies, snapped out of her thoughts at Syn's words.

"Very well...you may stay at the inn here...I will speak to you in the morning." Syn nodded and proceeded with his escorts towards the inn as Sheena walked back towards the chiefs hut. As morning rolled around, two ninjas knocked on Syn's door. He had been waiting all night for them to finally come to get him. Getting up, he answered the door and was promptly escorted to Sheena's hut. On entering the hut he saw her seated on the floor. Following her example he sat before her. Sheena finished sipping on what appeared to be a mug of hot tea before finally getting to business.

"We found the corpses you spoke of...they...they were from Meltokio...the descriptions fit perfectly...though from what I was told they had far from a peaceful death..." Syn had to keep from smiling at her from what he took as a complement.

"So they didnt...but thats not what you want to ask me about is it? Tell me...would you like to know why I sought you out and showed you this letter?" This was obviously exactly what Sheena wanted to know. She nodded, signaling him to continue.

"Very well...it is a long story. In your travels, did you ever hear of a place called Niflheim?" He waited for Sheena to show some sign of acknowledging this before continuing.

"Alright...then do you also know that Niflheim also existed on Symphonia for a time?" This he knew she would not have known. And waited for her to show that she didn't before once more continuing.

"Thousands of years ago, almost 8,000 to be more precise, your human ancestors opened a gateway to hell...to Niflheim. The gateway allowed demons to pour in and conquer the land, this also gave rise to the Lord of Demons, Neblheim. He caused much destruction throughout Symphonia, and for 1,000 years he ruled a land of desolation and darkness. But he was defeated. Angels, who had been battling the evil raging on Symphonia since Neblheim gained power, created three summon spirits to combat the Lord of Demons. They were the Summon Spirits of Good, Order, and Creation. With the power of these unique Summon Spirits the Angels were able to beat back Neblheim, but not before he created three Summon Spirits to rival those of the Angels. The Summon Spirits of Evil, Chaos, and Destruction. However, only two of these Summon Spirits would pledge their loyalty to the Lord of Demons. Those of Evil and Destruction. The Summon Spirit of Chaos did not care for either side, simply deciding to stay and feed off the colossal battle that engulfed Symphonia. With the lack of one of the Demonic Summon Spirits, the Angels were able to defeat Neblheim and shut the world of Niflheim into a book were it was sealed. Within the book went Lord of Demons, as well as Demonic Summon Spirits that pledged loyalty to him. The angels then worked to restore the world, which took the better part of 1,000 years to do completely." Syn waited for all this to sink in before continuing his story.

"As you also know, Mithos caused the world to split into two and that the Otherworldly Gate served as a link between them. The Otherworldly Gate, however, was a creation of Mithos in case a situation arose where it might be needed. Now that the two worlds are one, there is no where for the Otherworldly Gate to have a set link to...So Neblheim was able to use some of his power to come through the gate. Using his abilities he was able to corrupt and manipulate the mind of both the King of Meltokio and his adviser, the one you call Zelos. But, while the king is hopelessly lost to the powers of Neblheim, Zelos has been able to keep his mind though he has no control of his body. But this is only temporary, for the longer he stays under Neblheim's control, the more his mind will ebb away into nothingness. Right now, Neblheim is weak...he needs Niflheim to become manifest if he is to obtain his true power. And, in order to resurrect Niflheim he would need to have some control over the Summon Spirits of Symphonia, and for that he needs you. That is why he does not want you killed. All the other Heroes of Symphonia he views as threats. Beings capable of defeating before he becomes unstoppable. Except for Regal...he wishes to use Regals company and resources to find a set of artifacts known as the Devil Arms. These are his ancient weapons. If he gets his hands on all of these he will be able to restore a large semblance of his power, though not near what he had should Niflheim be unleashed upon the world." Sheena looked somewhat dumbfounded at his words. But then again, she had just learned that her friends had been taken over by an 8,000 year old demon that wanted to unleash hell upon the world and had at one time been powerful enough to create Summon Spirits himself. Sheena looked at Syn in disbelief. How could he know all this? If these event really took place 8,000 years ago then it would have been way, way before his time...he looked about her age. Not to mention that Raine, who was absolutely obsessive when it came to history and legends, had never once found anything about this kind of thing.

"How...How do you know about all of this? I mean...there is nothing about this in any of the books and legends throughout Symphonia. And you don't seem to be someone who would have had access to Angelic History texts...and even if you did, only angels are supposed to be able to read them." Syn knew this question would come up. But even so, he wasn't sure how to answer it without making her suspicious of him.

'Damn...what do I tell her?' The voice in the back of his mind spoke up.

Tell her what we are...there is no time and it would save confusion once the truth is known. Besides, though the other Summon Spirits will not be able to identify us, if Origin is summoned or when he once more detects our presence she will then know. Syn silently agreed with the voice and spoke again to Sheena.

"Remember when I told you that the Demonic Summon Spirits that pledged there loyalty to Neblheim where sealed within the book along with him? Do you also recall how I said one of said spirits did not? I...no...we, are that Spirit. The Summon Spirit of Chaos, Erebus." Syn's eyes flashed a deep red as the name passed his lips. Erebus, his other half. Sheena's eyes widened at this knowledge, gasping as she fell backwards in her attempt to stand up quickly. Syn, seeing her reaction, tried to calm her down before anything bad happened. The last thing he needed was the summoner to call in her ninjas...that would not turn out good under any circumstance.

"Sheena! Listen, I'm here because I need your help and you will need mine. If I wanted to kill you, I could have done so already." Sheena seemed to calm at t his, his words most likely being very true. But what she found odd was that he didn't look like Summon Spirit...though she had been feeling some kind of strange vibe from him ever since they first met. Calming herself, she sat back down.

"H-How are you a summon spirit exactly? I mean...you don't look like one...and your not in a temple! I didn't think Summon Spirits could walk around like you are...and why are you helping me? Didn't you just say Neblheim created you? Why would you want to stop him? Why did-" Syn, growing tired of her questions, raised his hand and silenced her.

"One question at a time...please..." The irritation was obvious in his voice. He was not used to dealing with people...the last time he had was over 4,000 years ago.

"Alright...I will answer these questions for you...First, I am a summon Spirit, but I'm not at the same time. I am the Avatar of Chaos, an individual who holds within him the Summon Spirit of Chaos and draws off his power in order for him to be able to freely walk Symphonia. As we said, we are a special kind of Summon Spirit and able to make special pacts. At the time of the Angelic and Demon war there were still people in the world who suffered at the hands of the demons and those that helped them. My friends and family were slain by a group of these collaborators, but I escaped. For days I wandered a wore torn land plagued by evil. The angels were winning the battle with the demons, and they knew it. Eventually, I stumbled on Erebus' temple by accident. I was chased in there by a group of demons. It was a fairly large group and I was not able to kill them all off...I was severely wounded. Even so, I managed to make it to Erebus' altar...his seal. As the demons chased me into the room to finish me off, he appeared in all his glory, destroying the demons before they knew what happened. At first, I feared him. I had every reason to. But even he knew the demons were losing, and he could taste my desire for revenge on the collaborators who had killed my friends and family. He also admired the fact that I got to his seal while being chased by a large number of demons from a town that was destroyed far from his location...But anyway, he offered me a Mutual Pact. He promised to give me the power to take my revenge and cause unbelievable amounts of chaos and destruction, and I promised to become his vessel and listen to his words. So thus, the Avatar of Chaos was born." Once Sheena had taken this in, he continued to answer the rest of her questions.

"Now, the reason I am helping you is because Neblheim is not too happy with us...He views us as a threat to his power. In the years that he has been imprisoned we have grown very powerful. In fact, he recently tried to destroy me. Thousands of years ago we had been imprisoned and our power sealed by a group of warriors. Neblheim's search for Erebus led him to us, but he was confused at first. He was not sure we were Erebus, but he was not sure we were not. He also overestimated himself. He awoke us, thinking that if I was indeed Erebus he could control me the same way he was controlling Zelos and the King. But he was wrong. His attempt broke the seal which had kept Erebus' power in check and myself asleep and imprisoned. We...I manged to escape while he was still disoriented." Syn decided to switch to "I" instead of "we" in referring to himself. He could see the whole "we" thing was freaking the girl out even more. He didn't need that.

"Now...the reason I want to stop him is because although we do feed off of Chaos, if Niflheim comes into the world then I would be subject to Neblheim's will...and he would most likely destroy me for betraying him 7,000 years ago. The reason I need your help...is because I alone cannot truly harm him. Because he created me I bear a semblance of his power, thus any attacks I make on him either do him little harm or amplify his power. Due to this same situation, he is able to hurt me...able to kill me. Needless to say, that would not be a good situation to have in a fight against an enemy...So I came to find you, Summoner of Symphonia. With you and your friends, we could stop Neblheim from opening the gates of Neflheim." Sheena had to take a moment to take all this in. If what Syn said was true then he would be a very valuable ally...and she doubted he was lying. His stories were much too detailed and elaborate for a simple lie. However, she was still a bit hesitant. The whole Avatar and Mutual Pact was a bit...odd. It just didn't sound right. But if anyone knew whether Syn was indeed associated with a Summon Spirit it would be Origin. Before she did that, though, a thought came to her. "

Tell me...Erebus?" Syn smiled at her error, after all, only half of him was Erebus.

"Call us Syn. We have been called that for 7,000 years." Sheena nodded,

"Right...Syn. Tell me, what will you do after we defeat Neblheim? What would stop you from simply filling his shoes and taking out the only ones that could oppose you right then and there?" Syn chuckled silently to himself.

'Seems she is getting a feel for us.' Erebus' image smiled inside Syn's head. He was a large, demonic looking orange fox with six flaming tails and deep, red eyes much the color of Syn's. His sharp fangs showed as he smiled.

Perhaps...but we can take care of it when we get to it. For now, she has no choice but to trust us. Besides, I've never been one to want to take over the world... Syn laughed in his mind.

'Oh, this is true...in my 7,000 years of life not once have you acted on the notion.' Sheena backed up slightly as she saw Syn smile slightly, his look causing fear to run through her, especially after she her last question. Snapping back into reality, Syn noticed his mistake.

"Sorry...I was talking to Erebus...I space out when that happens sometimes. Anyway...right now you have no choice but to trust us. However, think about this, if I truly wanted to take over the world could I not have done so before? I was alive long before Mithos split the worlds, could I not have taken it over then?" Sheena thought about this, and though Syn had a point, it was a flawed one.

"And how do I know you did not try this before? You said yourself you were imprisoned by a powerful group of warriors, how do I know they weren't trying to stop you from taking over the world for yourself?" Syn was dumbstruck. He was also being chewed out by Erebus for letting her find a reason to doubt them. Sheena noticed Syn's lack of response and felt a moment of pride for placing this so-called Avatar of Chaos on the spot using his on words. Sighing, Syn had to give in to her logic.

"Alright...you don't know. But like I said, you have to trust me for now. However, I can give you a reason to trust me. In order for you to destroy or seal Neblheim back up, and I would prefer destroyed, you will need to make a pact with one of the Angelic Summon Spirits. It does not matter which one, but at least one if not all. My opposite is the Summon Spirit of Order...if you make a pact with him then he alone would be able to counter balance me, not the mention that although I hold Erebus' power, I am no where as powerful should he himself be using them. I have a limit to how much of his power I can access without being overwhelmed and destroyed by it. So those facts, along with your friends, should be enough that you could defeat me in battle should you need to...However, if I do not attack you, you MUST control any of the Angelic Summon Spirits you make a pact with. They will want to destroy me. I stand for the very thing they were created to destroy. In fact, none of the other Summon Spirits care for me...But you must promise, if I help you we part ways without you making any attempt to Seal or Destroy me. Deal?" With that, Syn held out his hand. Sheena suddenly felt flustered. She didn't know what to do, Syn's offer made her feel as if she was about to make a deal with the devil. Which, in a way, she was about to. However, she also did not feel she could refuse...if she had to make a pact an Angelic Summon Spirit she had no idea where to look...not to mention that Derris-Karhlan was beyond her ability to get to. Though Raine might be able to find a way to get to it, she had never seen any notion of Summon Spirits on the comet. And if they were on Symphonia, then the location of their seals was most likely long forgotten...There was also Zelos, the stupid former Chosen. According to what Syn had said he was slowly fighting a losing battle for his mind, which would soon drift away into nothingness. And, although she didn't care for Zelos, she didn't want him to die either...Finally deciding that there was no other choice, Sheena reached out and shook Syn's hand. As soon as her hand met his, a red seal appeared on the back of her hand. Seeing it, she quickly pulled away and jerked up to a standing position.

"What did you do? You tricked me!" Syn quickly got up as well, smirking.

"No, we did no such thing...we merely placed insurance on our deal. The Seal on the back of your hand insures that you will not break your promise. It will keep you from taking any actions to Seal us or destroy us, that is all. If you don't believe us, ask Origin. We know you will summon him sooner or later anyway." Sheena seemed to calm a bit at this, but still felt that Syn had tricked her and was very peeved about it.

"You know what? I will! And your gonna come with me when I do it. I want to ask Origin some things about you." Sheena stormed to the entrance of her hut, waiting for Syn to start following her before she made her way to the a small clearing near the village, but hidden due to some vegetation so the people would not be disturbed by her summonings. As they made there way to said clearing, many eyes followed her, though nothing else did. Syn was still wearing his smirk as they entered the clearing. It had been thousands of years since he last spoke with Origin...both he and Erebus did not relish the coming meeting with him, but they both new it would have to happen sooner or later. Sheena began doing her summoning moves, and as she finished a circle appeared, Origin appearing above.

"What do you wish Pact-Maker?" Then, on seeing Syn, his eyes narrowed.

"You!" Syn merely smiled and waved.

"Hello Origin...How have you been?"

Author's Note:

Yes, nothing like a good cliffhanger to snag the readers interest. Hope it snags enough. Will try to update soon...hopefully.