I finally updated this story . . . -sweatdrop- Sorry for the almost-two-month wait. -shifty eyes- Yet . . . some of the other fics have had longer waits . . . MUCH longer . . . -runs away-
Anyway, don't except toooo much from this chapter . . . it was mostly character development, not plot movement. -nods-
WARNING: To all fluff/mush/sop lovers, please take note that this is NOT a fluffy story, even if it is romance. It is mostly angst and sad feelings . . . so no fluff. -sweatdrop-
Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia.
Enjoy anyway . . .
As she walked cautiously into the dreaded Tower of Salvation, the half-elf felt a chill run up her spine at the memories the place held, dark memories. It was the place where Colette had lost her soul, when her bright, lively blue eyes had been suddenly transformed into empty, soulless red ones. It was where she had first seen what the tower truly held, and had first wondered why it was a symbol of salvation.
And it was the place where Kratos betrayed us . . .
Dizziness engulfed her as she plodded steadily along the translucent blue path. She felt sick to her stomach and lifeless. What was making her feel so . . . empty and alone? Her friends were in front of her. She was safe, at least for the time being. Her rod was clutched tightly in her right hand. So what was the menacing feeling that was tugging at her and making her feel so strange?
She held her head in her free hand as she tried to sort through her emotions. She had never felt so chaotic before. Her blood rushed coldly through her veins as she heard the loud thumping of her heart beating in her chest. Sweat covered her palms and lined her forehead. Apprehension clung to her tightly.
Biting her lip, she bravely continued on despite the fear that threatened her. I am doing this . . . for the sake of the world. For the half-elves who have suffered. I have to stay strong. Motivating phrases instantly popped into her mind. But Raine was too skeptical to believe the words – her words. All her friend's efforts combined could not cease her fright.
Though she wouldn't admit that she was afraid. She put on a determined face and slowly, she put one foot in front of the other as if going on was a burden. She was tired. Tired of fighting, tired of the world. She wanted peace. She wanted to rest. What exactly had gotten her tangled into this mess?
But she was too weary to think any further. She wanted to conserve her energy for the fights that awaited them.
Everything was silent. The cold feeling of death washed over Raine. She felt horrible. Something was not right, she could sense it . . .
Lloyd looked grave, Colette serious, and pretty much everyone looked troubled or grim. Even Zelos was not his usual self, but instead of his normal cheery expression, he looked depressed and deeply concerned about something. This only added to Raine's nervousness and stirred at her emotions more.
Lloyd stopped short in his tracks as he looked up at the three angels blocking the path. "Damn . . ." he murmured, drawing his swords. "Angels . . ."
Raine's heart literally stopped beating. Why am I acting so cowardly? She gripped her rod tighter. Chants and spells flooded her mind. Root of all creation, grant us the breath of life . . . Photon . . . Ray . . .
She stood her ground, watching her friends strike their battle poses. Zelos drew his sword, Sheena whipped out her cards, Presea held her ax by her side, Genis clasped his kendama, and Colette's hands trembled as she clutched her chakrams.
Fight . . . Raine thought, taking a deep breath and glaring at the angels.
"Everyone!" a voice called from behind.
Caught by surprise, the group turned to see Yuan, the leader of the Renegades, motioning for them to follow him. The professor kept an eye on the angels, to make sure that they weren't caught off guard.
Yuan's blue hair was tied into a ponytail as usual, his arms were crossed, and his blue eyes were flickering with a kind of nervousness. "Follow me!"
He led them to an area behind the stairway. Raine tried to keep her breathing steady, wondering what could await them next. She knew that they would have to fight the three angels sooner or later, but she was a bit relieved to have a chance of finding out what was really going on.
Lloyd looked confused. "What's going on here? Why are you here?"
Yuan glared at him. "Now that Yggdrasill has found out the truth about me, working with you is the only way to save Martel." His face held a stingy expression. "Don't think I want to be your friend or anything."
The brown-haired boy made a face. "You aren't very friendly, are you?"
"I stopped being friendly a long time ago. Now go on. There's no time to waste."
The next thing she knew, Raine was in an area of the tower with her friends, prepared to fight Yggdrasill – or rather, Mithos, and go one step closer to saving the two worlds. And shortly after, the worlds will be reunited, and all this can end . . .
Lloyd stopped walking. The Eternal Sword was right in front of him, yet he could not do a thing with it. His fists clenched with a slight frustration. "This is it . . ." he murmured to the rest of the group, trying to keep the fear out of his voice.
Zelos nodded and ran ahead of him. "Right," he agreed, nodding. His voice was an unusual tone. It was not his usual cheerful voice, and yet, it was cheerful . . . Raine knew that he had to be faking it.
"Leave this to me. I have a little something I prepared the last time we were here. Colette, I'll need you, so come here for a sec." The red-haired Chosen motioned for the blonde. His blue eyes were shadowed and his face was unusually clouded.
Is everything not the way it seems?
Sheena looked skeptical. "Leave it to you?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow. "What "little something" have you prepared this time?"
Colette glanced at the dark-haired summoner before staring at Zelos again. "Huh?" the Chosen of Sylvarant looked baffled, confused at what anything would have to do with her. But with her usual trusting nature, she agreed, "Oh. Okay."
She walked towards Zelos, her expression still puzzled and slightly concerned, but that soon changed to fright as soon as she realized the other Chosen had led her into a trap. She was standing on a warp portal that was raised in the air with two angels by her side as well as the leader of the Five Desian Grand Cardinals, Pronyma.
Her jaw dropped open and her blue eyes widened with fear. "Z-Zelos!" she cried, her voice trembling. "What are you doing? Why is Pronyma . . .?" She looked at him with a half-pleading, half-shocked expression.
Zelos ignored her and looked at Pronyma with crossed arms. "Lady Pronyma, she's all yours now," he said coolly, hiding the hurt showering over him.
"Yes." Pronyma nodded, her dark eyes flashing. "Good work, Chosen."
"No problem."
"Zelos!" Genis cried, his voice full of shock. "What . . ."
Raine felt her heart skip a beat at the events she was witnessing. First Kratos betrayed them, and now Zelos. Could anything worse happen – to have friends turn against them? The grip on her rod tightened as a new anxiety washed over her.
Lloyd's eyes narrowed. "Zelos, what the hell are you doing?" he yelled with balled fists. "I can't believe you're actually listening to her! Why are you letting her take Colette?" His voice held a fury that the professor had only heard once before, and that was the first time that they had been betrayed.
Zelos glared at him, which only made Raine's heart beat faster. "Oh, shut up!" he snapped, his voice full of something that she interpreted as arrogance. "What I'm trying to do is help the winning side! Colette wanted to be a sacrifice. You know that there's no way you're gonna win in this fight, right?" His deep blue pools which were once so sparkly and happy were now angry, but there was a hint of sorrow somewhere, Raine knew it.
"You . . . you bastard!" Lloyd struggled to let the words out to a former comrade, but he could not find another way to express the emotions he was feeling. Lloyd's feelings were honest and pure, but he could not bear to say things like that to someone like Zelos.
"What's the big deal anyway?" the red-haired Chosen asked coldly. "It was just a matter of weighing the Renegades, Cruxis, and all of you." He crossed his arms and made an effort to keep the sadness out of his voice.
Raine bit her lip. This isn't going good . . .
Sheena looked alarmed, her brown eyes widening with pure fury. "Y-you . . .!" she shouted, her voice quavering angrily. "You were leaking information to the Renegades too? I . . . I can't believe you! I knew you were always a pervert, but when it all came down to it, I thought you were really a good person!"
She glared at him, releasing all of her anger at the moment. Zelos' eyes portrayed nothing, yet he somehow looked timid and saddened. "But I guess I was wrong!" she spat, swallowing back the dejection in her voice.
But still, the Chosen of Tethe'alla kept his cool. "Why, thank you, my sweet voluptuous hunny. But in the end, I choose this side. Because Mithos promised to free me from my fate as a Chosen of Mana."
Regal looked irritated with Zelos' selfish statements. "You hate being a Chosen so much that you would betray your friends?" he asked, trying hard to keep his voice calm.
"Oh yeah," the red-haired man looked determined. "Because of this title, my whole life has been a complete joke. I can't wait until Seles becomes the Chosen instead."
Presea looked saddened. "Zelos . . . what you are doing will cause immense suffering to countless people . . . do you not know that your actions are wrong?" Her pale green eyes lowered.
"Wrong? Please," the Chosen kept a firm expression. "Seles has always wanted the title and power of the Chosen. So I'm letting her have it. What's wrong with that?"
"Don't you understand?" Raine's periwinkle eyes narrowed angrily. "If Tethe'alla begins to decline, Seles will have to go on a journey to regenerate the world – that is, if we don't reunite the worlds. At the end of the journey, she will die, or she will fail along the way. Do you really want your sister to die – or become one of the coffins of dead Chosens floating around in this very tower?" Her gaze pierced into him.
Zelos' eyes lowered, but he remained silent, still too stubborn to admit that he was wrong. He turned to Pronyma. "I'm sorry for the wait. Let's go, Lady Pronyma."
He stepped onto the warp portal. Colette looked desperate. "Lloyd!" she cried helplessly as they began to warp away. "Lloyd! Lloyd-
"Colette!" Lloyd shouted back, his brown eyes ablaze with fury. "Zelos!" He stared at the warp portal, his hands gripping his twin blades tightly. "How could you . . ."
The commander of the three angels that they had seen earlier was staring at them with a cold, empty expression. "Disappear into nothingness," he said bluntly, as all three of the angels charged towards them.
Suddenly, two blue-clad ninjas and Orochi appeared in front of them to block the beginning blow. Sheena looked shocked to see them there. "Everyone! What're you doing here?" she cried.
Orochi didn't even look at her. "We'll explain later. Now is the time to fight!"
"Here they come!" Lloyd shouted, drawing out his weapons.
Raine prepared for a spell. The battle had begun.
Kratos stood on the balcony of the Great Seed Chamber, watching anxiously as Pronyma entered the room, bringing her minions, Zelos, and Colette with her. His brown eyes flickered nervously. Do as I told you to, Zelos. Save Colette, get Aionis, and defeat Mithos . . .
He looked towards the ceiling. Lloyd, save the world . . . for everyone's sake.
"Lord Yggdrasill," Pronyma began. "We have brought you the girl to be used for Lady Martel's vessel." She glanced at Colette quickly before turning back to Mithos. "Please go right on with the operation."
Mithos examined Colette carefully through piercing green eyes, making the Chosen shuffle her feet anxiously. ". . . Good work, Zelos," he told the red-haired man. "You will be released from your fate as a Chosen of Mana as soon as Martel has been resurrected."
Zelos crossed his arms. "You'd better. After all the trouble I went through to bring Colette here . . ." He gave a tiny smirk to himself. Boy, am I good at this stuff.
Mithos scowled as the blond-haired Chosen looked at Zelos, her eyes wide with fear and shock. "Zelos . . ." she whispered, her face full of misery. What was to become of her? Did Zelos manipulate them and plan to bring her to Mithos all along? She clasped her hands nervously, with perspiration covering her palms.
And up above on the balcony, Kratos stood, a grave expression on his face and his cold brown eyes fixed on Colette and Zelos. Lloyd and the others would arrive sooner or later. He would show himself when the time was right.
After they defeat Mithos here . . .
A chill ran up and down his spine as he crossed his arms. Blood rushed hot and cold through his veins as pools of fear and longing filled up inside of him. His death was approaching, and he would die in the very place where all of this had started, when Mithos had first gotten a hold of the Eternal Sword.
The Torent Forest.
He couldn't wait for death to grasp him in its dark clutches. He couldn't wait to join his wife, Anna, whom he had killed so many years ago. He couldn't wait to end his miserable, sinful life. He couldn't wait to finally cast the punishment he deserved – deserved long ago, on himself.
But somewhere, deep inside his heart, he felt fear. He feared of what would happen to his son, to his companions, to the world. Did they hate him? Did he really want to die unloved by anyone?
Does it really matter? No one loves a traitor like me anyway.
He had sat in the darkness for so long. Unable to accept anything or anyone. He didn't want others to suffer because of him, and he didn't want to get hurt anymore. He didn't want to care for anything; he wanted to forget about his past and misery. Death seemed like the best solution to all his problems.
For Origin's seal to be released, he had to die. There were no exceptions. He had simply stood by Mithos helplessly and watched as the world fell apart. He had done nothing to save the world those thousands of years ago, and he had even made people suffer even after that. He felt that it was his duty to help fix what was lost many years ago – that he had not even felt the urge to stop.
You need to see peace and feel happiness. There is something in the world for you.
His conscience was speaking, once again. But Kratos held firm to his beliefs.
No. There isn't anything left for me. I have lost everything, time and time again. This is all I can do now.
He was right. Each time he tried, his world had shattered. He didn't want it to tear to pieces ever again.
I want to forget everything. I want to feel nothing. Death is the way to settle it. Then, I will finally be at peace.
He was sure about that. There was nothing in the world left for him. He didn't deserve anything.
You will forget the small moments of happiness you felt too.
He ignored the voice this time. Watching as Martel's soul slowly seeped into Colette through gleaming chocolate orbs, he floated closer and closer to death's welcome arms.
"Root of all creation, grant us the breath of life!" Raine chanted under her breath. They were still fighting the battle with the three angels, and now they were faced with the leader, known as the Gatekeeper.
Lloyd, Sheena, and Presea were up front hitting the angel directly. Lloyd was slashing fiercely, unleashing multiple shockwaves and swinging his swords in complicated patterns to deal a great amount of damage. Sheena was pummeling the Gatekeeper with Pyre Seals and Demon Seals, while Presea swung her ax slowly but strongly and slammed it down for an occasional Mass Devastation.
Colette was a good distance away from the opponent, repeatedly throwing her electrically charged balls, Para Balls, and sometimes stunning him for a short time.
Regal had retreated to the back and was almost finished casting a healing spell, and quickly shouted, "Healer!" before running back to help the rest of his companions.
Genis was waving his kendama and a reddish-orange colored circle of light was beneath him as he charged for his powerful fire spell, Explosion.
Raine held her rod with both hands, concentrating heavily to release the healing spell. Suddenly, her eyes shot open, and she lifted her weapon up and shouted, "Revitalize!" before feeling a river of energy return to her.
"Sword Rain Beta!" Lloyd cried, hitting the Gatekeeper with multiple thrusts followed by two slashes. The angel, exhausted, finally fell to the ground, and Genis and Raine stopped their spell casting.
"Ugh . . ." the angel groaned. "I . . . underestimated . . . y-you . . ." Then he collapsed on the ground before them, dead.
Lloyd turned to Orochi and the other ninjas. A small cut was visible on Orochi's palm, but he didn't know where it had come from. "Are you guys all okay?"
Genis was seen picking up a small, sparkling symbol next to the Gatekeeper before slipping it around his wrist.
"Yes," the older ninja replied. Sheena looked at him oddly.
"And . . . why are you guys here?"
Orochi looked grave. "We received a message saying that you were going to head for the final battle. But that isn't important right now. You must hurry and save Colette."
"Yeah, I know." Lloyd nodded, his reddish brown eyes gleaming with determination. "Be careful."
Orochi gave a little bow of his head. "And you as well."
Raine looked down. They were so close to their goal, and they were on their way to the final battle with Mithos.
Presea stared at the spinning portal, hope lighting up her usual dull green eyes. "Is it . . . still active?"
Her companions followed her gaze before Lloyd ran over. "Yeah, looks like it. Alright, guys. Let's go!"
Meh, a so-so chapter in my opinion. Hope it was good enough for you guys. Oh yeah, I changed the title because I just thought it suited the story more. I realized that it goes a lot with the meaning of the song "Hikari" by Utada Hikaru. -nods- So yeah . . .
Sorry there isn't much "Kraine" in this chapter. -sweatdrop-
Please R&R! Thanks!