Rising Shadow: A Fanfic by Gyppy
Summary: The Dark Lord Nebilim is spreading the fog of death through the land; a swordsman by the name of Abyssion goes out to find out how to stop this miasma, and also to avenge the death of his parents.
Along the way, he stumbles upon the Eternal Swordsman, Lloyd, and his group, and they work together to help defeat Nebilim and restore peace and tranquility to the land.
Author's Note: This is in an Author's Universe, which means that the storyline has nothing to do with the storyline of the game. There may be a bit of out-of-characterness, and lastly, this is a crossover fic (the concept of miasma is from Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles). There may be a few Original Characters, which are characters the author came up with to put in the fanfic.
Also, there will be some hints at pairings in this fic (sometimes a little more than hints ;) ): the most notable will be LloydxColette, and there'll also be sprinklings of ZelosxSheena, GenisxPresea and, later on, maybe a little KratosxRaine. I won't spoil the rest for you.
There'll be plenty of game spoilers in this fic, however, it is in an Author's Universe, so much of the spoiler content will have to do with relations and such.
Thank you for the review(s).
Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia, Namco, Final Fantasy or Squaresoft/Square-Enix. All I own is this storyline, this story and my pathetic, writer's-block-afflicted mind.
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Chapter 10: Tenshi no Mitos
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The Tower of Salvation was a grand structure as always; even in the miasma it seemed to be a most beautiful building, the sunlight gleaming on its smooth stone surface. The tower itself was held up by an invisible force field, generated by magitechnology. The stairs that led to its base were also generated by magitechnology, made purely of mana.
The group headed up to the top floor of the tower, and they finally reached the warp that led to Welgaia. From there, they headed out into the peculiar chill of Derris-Kharlan's air, following the path to the Castle Vinheim.
Once they had entered Vinheim, they stepped forward. Mithos was in the same room he'd been the last time they visited, and he was just as prepared as last time to meet them.
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"I desire to ask you a question," Kratos said, stepping forward. "Mithos, surely you know of a way for these humans and half-elves to enter the Flanoir region?"
"Only wings of mana may repel the miasma without a crystal," Mithos said. "If you desire to reach Flanoir by air without using Rheairds, I suppose I could be of assistance..."
"However, there will be much pain involved in the process," an angel swordian said as she drifted into the room. "If you wish to access Flanoir, you will have to undergo a test."
"You said I wouldn't have to undergo the test," Lloyd said, turning to Kratos. "What did you mean by that?"
"He will transform you into angels," Kratos replied. "Since you already have wings of mana, you do not need to obtain them yourself."
"Ah, so that's what you meant," Lloyd said. "Thanks anyhow."
"Are you willing to undergo the trial?" Mithos questioned, looking at the group.
At the same time, Genis, Raine, Presea, Sheena and Abyssion said simply, "Yes."
"Then, let it begin," Mithos said. "Follow me."
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Mithos took the group to a room with a peculiar machine in it. The machine was a tall box with a clear glass door in front; this door led to a small chamber that seemed to be unable to hold more than one person at a time. There were various holes and lights inside the chamber, and there were a few peculiar devices on the outside of the machine.
A Raybit floated, at ready, on either side of the machine.
"If we aren't careful, everything will go wrong," Mithos said. "This means that only those who are able to stay still may undergo the test."
"I will go first," Presea volunteered, stepping forward.
"Very well," Mithos said. He quietly walked over to the machine and pressed a button, which caused the chamber door to open. "Go in."
Presea stepped forward and entered the chamber, closing her eyes as she did so. All she heard from the inside of the chamber was the quiet sound of the door closing.
"I figured something like this might happen," Mithos said, smirking. "So I prepared a little surprise for you in case it did."
"Let's just hope it doesn't go wrong," Genis said, closing his eyes. "If it goes wrong... no, I dare not speak of the possibilities if it goes wrong."
Mithos started busily working at the machine's controls; after a while, the chamber Presea was in lit up with various sparkling lights, and the sound of quiet air exchange could be heard. Although it wasn't visible to the group, the Exsphere on Presea's chest started glowing brilliantly, lit up with the energy that was flowing into it.
After a time, the lights faded, and the chamber opened, releasing a peculiar smell that smelled almost like the innards of a mechanical device. Presea turned and stepped out, her body trembling slightly.
"Can you hear me?" Mithos asked quietly.
Presea flinched at the sound; to her, it was several times louder than the volume at which Mithos had spoken, and it, to her untrained ears, was very painful. She nearly stepped back into the chamber, her entire body shaking.
"Don't worry," Mithos said, turning to the group. "She should be okay soon. It's just the effects kicking in."
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Presea's P.O.V.
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The sounds I heard around me... were painful. Intensely painful.
My head hurt as I listened to the conversation around me; my vision seemed to blur for a brief moment before I regained control of myself and realized just how sharply I could see now.
All my senses were greatly heightened... I could easily see the faintest difference in coloration on the wall, or even the faint lighting far above. It was like my eyes had been turned into two magnifying glasses. And that was not all... my hearing was intensely powerful, so powerful that it made my former hearing, however sensitive it was, look weak. Even my sense of smell had improved... I could sniff out the various scents that differed between my companions, much as a dog or cat would.
I wondered how the seraphim managed to tolerate this incredible boost of senses. Perhaps they had received training prior to their transformation into angels.
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Third-Person P.O.V.
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"Presea, are you okay?" Genis asked, walking over to the pink-haired girl and placing a soothing hand on her shoulder.
"Yes... I am fine," Presea replied, her voice shaking as much as her body. "I... think I can tolerate it now. Thank you for your concern."
"Try it out now," Mithos said. "Try your wings."
Presea nodded, and called upon the power her new Cruxis Crystal granted her. Her body was surrounded by a brilliant, glowing aura, and from her back spread wings of mana; they glowed with an ethereal pink light, and had long, thin feathers that were relatively straight and rarely branched. They fluttered softly in the chilled air of Vinheim, casting a soft breeze upon the other members of the group.
The newborn angel smiled suddenly, her eyes brightening. She reached behind herself and felt her hand go cleanly through one of the sparkling feathers; despite seemingly being made of nothing but glowing air, they emitted a peculiar warmth, much as if they were actual physical extensions of her body.
"Thank you," she finally said, turning to Mithos. "They are... beautiful. I can only imagine how much they will help me on our journey."
"So I take it this means you've gotten used to angel senses," Mithos said, laughing ever so slightly. "Yeah, it takes you a while, but you eventually get used to it."
"They're really pretty," Genis said, smiling. "You're like a young angel... except you're not quite so young."
Presea nodded, and decided to attempt flying. Though at first it was quite difficult, she quickly got the hang of it, and was soon wandering about the room, investigating the various devices scattered about.
"Who's next?" Mithos asked, turning to the group.
"I am!" Genis exclaimed happily, jumping into the air.
"Very well," Mithos said, chuckling softly. "Go ahead and enter the chamber... if you think you can take it." He smirked.
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The group soon left Vinheim, having tested out their new wings. At first, they thought it peculiar that they were now able to fly, but they quickly shrugged it off... it was something they'd have to get used to one way or another.
Genis had brilliant, sparkling silver wings of mana; they had long, thin feathers, much like Kratos', except with many more branches, and just seemed... fluffier.
Raine's wings were also of silver; they were brilliantly feathered, with numerous individual feathers that seemed to be shaped like rough diamonds. On the very edge of her wings, there were long, thin, spikelike feathers, which seemed to catch the air in a most peculiar fashion.
Sheena's wings were deep blue, almost midnight blue; they had very long feathers, which were branched, and many of them were close together, with the feathers on the very edges seemingly radiating a brilliant light, like those of Yggdrasill.
Abyssion bore wings of pure shadow; they closely resembled those of Yggdrasill, and he even had the same feathers hanging from his hands.
As a group, the nine angels headed north, off to the snowy land of Flanoir. Using a special technique known only to the angels, they managed to protect themselves from the invading miasma as they flew.
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Author's Note: "Tenshi no Mitos" would literally translate to "Angel of Mithos". Mitos is Mithos' Japanese name, in case any of you were wondering.
I know the machine that magically transforms Exspheres into Cruxis Crystals is kinda cheesy, but heck, it's an Author's Universe. I can do whatever the hell I want.
And yes, everybody became angels. Corny as hell, but then again, it's my universe, so...
I'd imagine it'd be very difficult to get used to the increase in senses that angels have.
And Cruxis Crystals can protect against the miasma if they're infused with myrrh. Nah, just kidding... or am I?