Healing the Wounded Heart
I started this chapter when I was in Welgaia (first visit) for the description of what it looked like. This was on my second playthrough. Then, I ended it when I had opened the door in Vinheim and had watched the scene, plus some Coliseum stuff too . . . That took pretty long . . .
Yep, this chapter was hard to write,but I succeeded! Yay! Anyway, here's the disclaimer:
Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia.
rice8369 - Yeah, Kratos goes off to Derris-Kharlan at the end, but this is during the game, after Colette's illness is cured.
Enjoy!
Kratos stepped casually off of the warp portal and into Welgaia, the Holy City. Although it looked more like a series of large, high-tech rooms rather than a real city. The angels of Derris-Kharlan, including himself, lived here, but even though there were many living beings, there was no feeling of actual daily life.
The seraphim glanced around and walked forward. All of the angels wore blank, emotionless expressions and talked in monotone voices. A starry night sky could be seen from the glass dome which covered the city. Everything was extremely mechanical; there were no signs of natural light or anything except machines and more angels.
Kratos knew that most of the winged beings had lost their souls, so they had been floating and flying around aimlessly for countless years, unable to even think. And all they ever talked about was Yggdrasill and Derris-Kharlan. Life in Welgaia revolved around those two main subjects, and combined with the impassive angels, it made it an extremely dull and boring place to live. They were simply waiting for the Age of Half-elves to arrive, he guessed.
Of course, the angels themselves knew that they had lost their souls. Perhaps they had chosen to forget about the feeling of misery when people treated them like dirt. They had probably wanted to become oblivious to any vulgar names they were called.
But in the process, they had also forgotten the feelings of affection: love and happiness.
Angels were oblivious to so many things, including the temperature around them. One had even commented on the uselessness of clothes because they could not feel heat or cold.
How did it feel to be lifeless? To be living on forever without feeling anything, not even happiness? Yggdrasill had truly drained the meaning from their lives.
To be trapped in an empty, silent world for eternity, their souls sealed away, unable to understand the environment that they were living in . . .
It seemed unbearably sad.
Yggdrasill is supposed to be helping the half-elves . . . he thought, pitying the emotionless beings. Is this really helping them? Having them become angels and then losing their souls? Living on forever without feeling anything at all?
He shook his head. This will not improve anyone's lives . . .
With a firm expression and fire in his brown eyes, Kratos set off to meet Yggdrasill in the Great Seed Chamber in the Tower of Salvation.
The next morning, the sliding doors of Hotel Lezareno slid open and a newly refreshed Raine stepped out. The air in Altamira was cool and fresh, and it was almost silent, save for the sound of ocean waves splashing gently against the shore and the cries of seagulls.
A warm breeze blew across the professor's delicate features and ruffled her hair. Her blue eyes looked bright and shiny, but the serious and worried expression on her face didn't match it.
Her companions were already awake and outside the hotel. Lloyd was "discussing" something with Genis, but the little half-elf just rolled his eyes and made a sarcastic comment every once in awhile. This seemed to make the swordsman irritated, so he started yelling, and Genis yelled back without hesitation. The little "conversation" of theirs turned into an argument.
Colette, Sheena, and Presea were also chattering amongst themselves. Well, Sheena and Colette were really the only ones talking, as Presea simply stood and listened, telling them that she was listening with an occasional nod. The blonde Chosen giggled and the summoner rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help letting out a small smile.
Zelos had gone off to annoy Regal now that Sheena was busy. Anyone could tell that he was complaining about something from the whiny tone of voice he was using, but the convict just grunted and moved away. This caused the red-haired man to whine even more, but it wasn't as if he was expecting anyone to pay attention to him anyway.
The silver-haired woman stepped silently down the velvet covered steps leading to the grounds near her friends, and the exit to the city. She cleared her throat softly.
The seven companions grew silent. Even Lloyd and Genis stopped their bickering and turned to stare at Raine. Sheena raised one eyebrow and Colette smiled. Lloyd wore a blank and confused expression, Genis looked slightly puzzled, Regal remained as emotionless as always, and Zelos grinned deviously.
The professor managed a small smile, but that was about it. They were about to head into great danger.
"We should be going now," she said finally, her periwinkle eyes reflecting pure worry. "We can't waste any time."
Zelos frowned. "Aw, Professor, one night in Altamira isn't gonna hurt us all that bad!"
Raine shot a glare at the Chosen of Tethe'alla before speaking again. "With the situation of the two worlds like this, we must stop Mithos as soon as possible," she replied firmly. "We can't waste time fooling around at resorts."
Sheena nodded. "Yeah, Zelos," she added, rolling her brown eyes. "How can you even think about some gaudy resort like Altamira at a time like this?" She crossed her arms and looked at him coldly.
"And I wonder what goes on in his head all the time," Genis remarked sarcastically.
"Oh, come on already!" Lloyd cried impatiently. He ran towards the exit. "The Professor said that we can't waste any time! We're already wasting time just standing here! Let's go!"
"Yeah!" came a high and cheerful voice that happened to be Colette's. She scurried over to Lloyd's side.
Presea nodded slightly. "Yes," she said, her voice hinted with worry and agreement. "Professor Raine is right. We should hurry."
"I agree," Regal put in quietly. "We should head for the Tower of Salvation as quickly as possible."
Zelos grinned and put a hand on the red-suited swordsman's shoulder. "Right, whatever you say, bud!" he said cheerfully. "And thanks for defending me against the brat!"
"Oh, shut up, will you?" the silver-haired boy cried, annoyed. "Seriously, how can you joke around like that all the time? And I told you to stop calling me that!"
Zelos beamed, as Sheena would call it, "like an idiot". "Because I, the great Zelos, am the master of . . ."
He stopped to think for a moment. "Of . . . oh, dammit, what was it again?"
Sheena walked over to him and rolled her eyes before grabbing a lock of his long red hair. "Yeah, yeah, whatever, of making idiotic comments! C'mon now, let's go!" She began dragging him along as the Chosen screamed for mercy. The rest of them followed the two out of Altamira.
"Ahhh, yes, my voluptuous hunny, you're, OW!" he yelped as the ninja continued to pull him along. "Correct, I am the master of the OWWW! Nooo! Sheena, stop it! No, not the hair – OWWW!"
"Just shut up, will you?" Sheena growled, her voice hot with anger and annoyance. "And just thanks sooo much for calling me that!" She tugged harder on Zelos' hair.
"OWWW! No, Sheena, stop it OW!"
Raine rolled her eyes at the pair. Zelos was just the type of person to deserve something like that.
But what she was really worried about was her dream. Even though she was convinced that it was just a dream, she couldn't help being anxious over it. A father and son fight, right in the middle of . . . what was it? She couldn't remember the place exactly, but it had definitely seemed like a place out in the wilderness, a forest, perhaps.
She clenched her fists and took a deep breath.
Lloyd, I pray for the safety of you . . . and Kratos.
"Professor?" Lloyd's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
The woman looked up to see the others boarding the Rheairds. Lloyd himself was hopping onto a blue one. "Hey, time to go. We're headed for the Tower of Salvation."
The purple-suited mercenary walked into the cold, damp room, the Great Seed Chamber, inside the Tower of Salvation. Although the massive stone walls surrounding the place were windowless, a chilling wind still managed to sneak its way inside, making Kratos shiver slightly. The seed of the Giant Kharlan Tree, the Great Seed, rested in the room, with Martel's soul inside, waiting to be resurrected. At least, that's what Mithos Yggdrasill was expecting.
The thought of having the very life of the world, the root of all mana, right before his eyes, made it very tempting to just take it and solve all of the people's problems. But he knew he could not do that. For one thing, he could never survive the brutal forces Yggdrasill would pummel upon him, and for another, he could not possibly solve everyone's problems just by replanting the Great Seed. The worlds still needed to be reunited with the Eternal Sword, and some things could not be recovered, such as the lives lost because of Cruxis' schemes.
The blonde-haired angel was standing close to the Great Seed, close to the soul of his sister. His shimmering pink wings were exposed as he stared longingly at the seed which held his sister's consciousness. The beautiful young maiden with the long green hair, the kind heart, and the open mind . . . Martel.
"Please, come back to me soon, dear sister . . ." Yggdrasill whispered hopefully, closing his bright, yet lifeless blue eyes.
Memories of Martel came flooding back to Kratos and he thought about the day she had died. It had hurt, hurt so much, but not as much to anyone as to Mithos. He had lost his only source of warmth and strength.
And Yuan had chosen to save the world instead of his fiancée.
Kratos shook his head as he tried to imagine the anguish the half-elf must've felt when he had made his decision. How torn he must've been . . .
Be strong, Kratos.
Yes . . . the man thought to himself. He boldly stepped forward and said quietly, "Lord Yggdrasill."
Yggdrasill turned towards him, his face still sad at thoughts of Martel and his eyes slightly teary. He tried wiping his face before Kratos could notice.
It seems that he is still a child inside . . .
"Yes, Kratos?" the blonde-haired angel asked, his voice returning back to its normal cold, emotionless tone. "What is it?"
The auburn-haired man hesitated before speaking. ". . . Lord Yggdrasill, are you sure you will stay here to guard the Great Seed until Martel's mana seeps into the Chosen?" He secretly hoped that Lloyd and the others would be able to prevent Colette from being taken away. But with Zelos . . .
He expected the Chosen of Tethe'alla to follow his instructions and retrieve the sacred metal, Aionis, for Lloyd. After all, if he was going to wield the Eternal Sword, he would need that to forge the Ring of the Pact.
Yggdrasill looked at him blankly. ". . . Yes."
Kratos let out a short sigh. This would only cause more trouble for Lloyd and the rest of them. "As you wish . . ."
"What is your reason for being here? Is this all you wanted to say?"
"No," the auburn-haired angel stated bluntly. "You had asked me about some matters you wanted to discuss with me. And I am here now . . ." His palms were starting to sweat at the thought of what Yggdrasill wanted to talk to him about.
"Ah, yes." The angel glanced quickly at the Great Seed before looking back at Kratos. "Come. We have some important things to converse . . ."
As Raine flew high through the skies of Tethe'alla on her red Rheaird, she thought more and more about what would happen during their second visit to the Tower of Salvation. She doubted that what would really happen was going to be good for any of them, especially Colette, whom Cruxis needed for the resurrection of Martel.
Would the innocent Chosen of Sylvarant be all right? Would they all get hurt trying to save her? Or even, would one of their trusted friends betray them? It made her wince to think about it.
No, it couldn't happen. She had put her complete trust into every one of her companions, even Sheena, whom she had suspected before. At least the dark-haired summoner hadn't betrayed them, even though she was sent to assassinate Colette. And Zelos too; even though he could be ridiculously annoying at times, she still had faith in him.
But it was just her nature to wonder about things like that.
She brushed a lock of silver hair out of her eyes and looked ahead at the tall tower that was growing closer to them by the second. All seven of her companions were flying near her: Lloyd, ahead of everyone else, Colette, closely behind her, Sheena, beside Colette, Presea, on her left, Zelos, next to Lloyd, Genis, on her right, and Regal, a little ahead of her. She felt secure with her friends around her, and it was unlikely that they would be attacked while flying.
Chilling winds rushed past her face as she held on tightly to the Rheaird. The Tower of Salvation, or rather damnation, which suited it more, loomed ahead, its peak stretching out into the heavens. Wispy white clouds curled around it, surrounded by a bright blue sky and a flock of birds that were circling around it. No matter how beautiful it looked on the outside, it would never make up for what she saw on the inside.
Coffins of failed Chosens . . .
It horrified her just at the thought of it.
Was it really necessary for Yggdrasill – Mithos, to put out all of the coffins for all who entered it to see?
Raine cocked her head. Perhaps it was to ensure the succession of the next Chosen . . . to show what their fate would be if they did not complete the world regeneration ritual successfully . . .
But the Tower of Salvation was extremely important to both the people of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. It acted as a symbol of salvation to the declining world, and a symbol of prosperity to the flourishing world. It brought hope to the people of Sylvarant and relief to the people of Tethe'alla. They saw it as a sign of life that the angels of Cruxis had put in their sky. But inside, there was nothing else but the feeling of death . . .
The professor recalled memories of the first time that they had entered the Tower of Salvation, when it had only been Colette, Kratos, Genis, Lloyd, and Sheena . . .
Flashback
Lloyd and Sheena ran up the translucent stairwell that led into the Tower of Salvation. Colette had ridden a dragon with Kratos, as the mercenary had claimed, "It is my job to protect the Chosen." This was the day that the sixteen-year-old was to complete the world regeneration of Sylvarant, become an angel, and revive the Goddess Martel. But Lloyd didn't want to think of it that way, and neither did anyone else.
Raine and Genis were waiting anxiously for the swordsman and summoner. Raine clasped her hands together anxiously. Genis ruffled his silver hair and crossed his arms.
"Raine, where are Lloyd and Sheena?" he complained, beginning to pace. "I didn't know their dragon was this slow. And where did Kratos and Colette go?"
The silver-haired woman sighed. "Genis, stop pacing," she told her younger brother. "I know you're worried about them, especially Colette, but you can't lose your patience. This is . . . the day that Sylvarant will be regenerated. We should all be happy . . ."
Genis stopped pacing and glared at his sister. "But Colette has lost almost all of her humanity, and she's probably going to lose the last of it today too!" he shouted. He didn't mean to take it out on her, but he couldn't help it. Nobody would want to lose their best friend, even if it meant regenerating the world.
"Genis!" The professor put her hands on her hips angrily. "I know you don't want this to happen to Colette! But the people of Sylvarant are suffering! You must remember that!"
"I –
"Professor! Genis!" Lloyd voice shouted. The two half-elves turned to see the young swordsman and summoner enter the small room. They were both panting heavily, and Sheena kneeled down to catch her breath. Genis looked relieved to see them.
"Guys! Where have you been?"
"Sorry about that," Sheena cut in, standing up again. "We were kind of delayed by the dragon, but . . ." She looked around.
"Hey, where's Colette?" Her expression changed into one of confusion and anxiety.
Lloyd's brown eyes were filled with worry. "Yeah, where'd she go? And what about Kratos?"
Raine stepped forward. "I would assume they are in the room containing the Final Seal," she explained, trying her hardest to keep her voice steady. "We'd best go and catch up to them."
"Yeah, c'mon, guys!" Lloyd began running into the next room. "Hurry!"
"Yeah!" Sheena, Genis, and Raine followed him. But the professor did not expect what she was about to see . . .
The brown-haired swordsman ran and ran until he arrived into a long path that led to a warp portal. He stopped short, and the rest of them did the same not long after. His eyes widened in fear.
"Oh my gosh . . ."
Sheena's eyebrows furrowed. "What are those things?" she demanded, her voice filled with more fear than anger.
Genis' jaw dropped. "They're just kind of . . . floating around . . ." he murmured.
Raine walked over to the edge of the path for a closer look. Her face went white and she backed away slightly.
"Oh my . . ." she gasped, her voice filled with a new horror. "These are . . . these seem to be the coffins of former Chosens . . ."
"Y-you mean . . ." Genis began, frightened. "You mean . . . failed Chosens . . .?" He shuddered.
"Dead Chosens!" the dark-haired summoner exclaimed. "They must've died along the way to regenerate the world!"
"Yes . . ."
Lloyd didn't take the time to wonder about details such as this. He was too worried about what might happen to Colette if she failed. "Guys, c'mon! We don't have to time to be fooling around like this! If we don't hurry, this is what'll happen to Colette!" He ran into the portal and warped.
Genis and Sheena turned to him. "Right!" They followed quickly behind him and disappeared into the portal. Raine ran a few steps ahead on the translucent path before staring once again at the coffins. They were lifeless beings, humans who had died trying to save the world. Was this their punishment for failing, when they had tried so hard to save their world? They had been born to become a sacrifice, had gone on a journey to sacrifice themselves, had failed, and then had their body shown at their destination? Was it really fair to them?
"Tower of Salvation . . ." she muttered, not believing that dead bodies were inside the tower that was supposed to symbolize salvation. "Rather, the Tower of Damnation . . ."
She hurried off into the warp portal and vanished.
End Flashback
The group circled around the tower a couple of times before landing in front of the entrance. Genis then stored the Rheairds inside the Wing Pack that they had once used to carry the Elemental Cargo in, which Raine hated to ride. She stared up at the building that rose high above the clouds, high above the land, superior to everything . . .
But it was filled with so much sadness. All of the failed Chosens were left to rest there, not even knowing the true reason their world was in decline or of the coexisting world that had been flourishing.
Raine's seven companions entered the tower without hesitation, but the professor took one look at it before she went inside. Even though she didn't know it, it would probably be the last time that she would look at it up close while it was still whole.
The strong and sturdily built structure shone like silver in the bright afternoon sun. It was made to be a symbol of hope and love to the people of both worlds, but if they had gone inside, they would look at it in a completely different way.
She pursed her lips and her periwinkle eyes gleamed. "Tower of Salvation . . . and damnation . . . here I come."
So how was it? Tell me what you think. Constructive criticism would help!
Haha, did you see the alliteration near the end? Strong, sturdily, structure, shone, silver . . . hehe. I really didn't mean to do that, seriously.