Bearer of the Pact: A Fanfic by Gyppy

Timeline: Based in 'To Kill An Angel' timeline (between Deadly Confessions and Mithos, Coldhearted No More)

Pairings: Some Sheelos

Author's Note: This fanfic will contain TKAA spoilers. Just wanted to warn you so you don't read ahead of yourself. ;)

As you know, at the end of the chapter Deadly Confessions, Sheena promises to Zelos to relinquish the pacts she has with four of the Summon Spirits: Celsius, Volt, Gnome and Shadow. This fic takes place in the time that Zelos is making the new pacts.

And in case you're wondering, a Summon Spirit merely has to be in the general area for one to make a pact with it. Usually the Summon Spirits reside at their respective seals, but if the one who holds a pact with the Summon Spirit in question summons it to relinquish the pact to another person, the latter person does not need to be at the seal to make the pact. At least, in Rising Shadow/To Kill An Angel timeline.

In this storyline, Celsius and Fenrir are both Summon Spirits of Ice, much like Luna and Aska. They're bound by a link that dictates that one cannot form a pact unless the other is with them.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia, Namco, Final Fantasy or Squaresoft/Square-Enix. Rising Shadow and To Kill An Angel are my fanfiction, however.

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Zelos grinned as he sat back in the chair that had been set up near Hima. The group had recently broken the seal on the Book of Niflheim in the ground of the Tower of Destruction, and were now slacking off for a bit before they would head to Hima to spend the night. And, of course, Zelos was in heaven, since Sheena had practically hugged him earlier... something he'd wanted for so long it wasn't even funny.

Of course, he knew he had a more important duty to turn to. Sheena had told him herself that, since he bore the ability to summon, she would relinquish the pacts she had with Tethe'alla's Summon Spirits to him. Partly because, as she said, Celsius hated her, and seemed to take much more of a liking to Zelos.

After that battle with the dark dragon, he hadn't felt up to it. But now he seemed more confident in himself.

With no prior warning, the redhead sprang out of his chair and bounded over to where Sheena was sitting, Mizuho-style, on the ground.

"Yo, Sheena," Zelos said in his classic overly cheerful voice. "I just wanted to say something."

"Yes?" Sheena looked up at him, her brown eyes filled with curiosity.

Zelos grinned. This would be too easy. "Well, you remember what you said about the Summon Spirits earlier. I didn't feel like doing it before, but now I think I'm ready to handle that extra burden."

The two summoners were given numerous odd glances, and Sheena suddenly felt uncomfortable. "Well... if you wanna do it now, I guess we can do it..."

"With your consent, of course," Zelos said, winking. "I wouldn't do a damn thing in life if it weren't for you."

"Or with my permission," Sheena said, smirking. "Well, I guess it's up to you now. I'll do it, but remember, you have to make sure there's a lotta space. These guys aren't pansies when they fight."

"I guessed that much," Zelos muttered. "Let's get started."

The two walked over to a wide clearing in the forest, where there would be little intrusion from the outside. Sheena smiled to herself as she stepped into the clearing.

The guardian user fell into a brief moment of concentration as she summoned the ones she felt would make the best match for Zelos at the moment. Out of the crystal clear of the afternoon air, the magnificent Summon Spirit Celsius, as well as her canine companion Fenrir, appeared. Their eyes were instantly turned upon Sheena.

"What is it you ask of us this time?" Celsius asked, her commanding tone radiating through the forest. "It seems rather unlike you to call us at an unsightly time like this."

"It's for the sake of a friend here," Sheena replied. "I wished to terminate the agreement I currently have with you so that you could form a new pact with my friend."

"Quite an interesting occurrence." Fenrir's almost ethereal voice echoed clearly and distinctly through the trees. "It has been over ten thousand years since such a thing has occurred to us."

"You truly wish to cancel the pact you have with us," Celsius said. "Well then, it is done. Your pact is forfeit, and the agreement is terminated."

The sapphire Sheena was in possession of floated up to Celsius and placed itself once again in her heart. Sheena looked down at the hand the gem had been in, almost with a distant sorrow, but she knew the deed had to be done.

"So, you're really gonna do it," Zelos said, coming up behind Sheena. "It looks awful simple, doesn't it?"

"A little too simple," Sheena said. "It almost seems as if the pact is still there... but it isn't. I can't feel that power anymore..."

"Well, anyway, let's give it a try." Zelos stepped in front of Sheena, now in full view of both Summon Spirits.

Celsius' eyes immediately turned to the new person who stood before her. She narrowed her eyes, seemingly in interest.

"You who possess the right of the pact," the Summon Spirit said. "What is your name?"

"I am Zelos," the seraph replied. "I seek a pact with Celsius."

"You seek a pact with me?" Celsius' eyes lit up in a mix of arrogance and amusement. "I doubt you can handle me alone. You're not some wimpy little summoner kid, are you?"

"I'll be fine," Zelos said, drawing his sword. "Come on, bring it! Both of you!"

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Zelos could feel the chill radiating from the skin of the Summon Spirit as she floated down to the ground, her feet touching the ground softly. His sword glimmered in the afternoon sunlight, almost like a star in the lone forest.

Fenrir was the first to make a move. It launched forward, one of the massive, curved horns flanking its snout grazing Zelos' right arm. The summoner turned, his gaze falling upon the creature who had struck him.

"Bring it on!" Zelos exclaimed. He rushed forward and performed a spiraling slash which threw Fenrir into the air, followed by a thrust that glowed with brilliant white light: Light Spear Cannon. Fenrir's retaliation was to leap forward and bite its opponent, causing him to reel.

Celsius' next attack hit dead-on. Zelos had a difficult time remaining on his feet as the Summon Spirit pounded attack after attack into him; however, once the assault had ended, he turned and thrust his sword forward, impaling Celsius on the very tip, then channeled wind energy through the blade of the sword for an impressive cyclonic strike: Hurricane Thrust.

Fenrir caught Zelos from behind. The summoner whirled around, and summoning much-needed strength, prepared his assault. Zelos performed an upward slash, throwing the foe into the air; as he flew up, he unleashed a fireball upon the falling opponent, which exploded upon reaching the ground: Hell Pyre.

Zelos was suddenly and unexpectedly caught up in the blizzard-like fury of a multitude of ice blades flying from Celsius' general direction: Freeze Lancer. Though he had difficulty recovering from the attack, he knew exactly what to do in retaliation. Jumping back, he summoned the mana that lay within him; he quickly loosed the spell, throwing a massive spear of fire down from the heavens, which exploded upon contact with its foe: Flame Lance.

The canine opponent, who had been resting for some time as if to regain strength, suddenly assaulted Zelos with a head-on attack. The summoner frantically tried to pry Fenrir from his face, and after successfully doing so, he was thoroughly pissed off. Summoning forth his wings and leaping back, he started calling upon another spell.

A glowing purple aura surrounded Zelos, and Celsius was afraid of what would happen next, despite herself. She saw his rough orange wings sprout from his back, and knew they were a sign that he was going to pull something drastic.

And he did. Just seconds later, he loosed a spell that caught both Summon Spirits completely off-guard.

"Spark Wave!"

A single sphere of electricity engulfed the two Summon Spirits. Moments later, the entire internal and external structure of the sphere began exploding with pure static force, rippling intensely and creating shockwaves that even seemed to catch Sheena off-guard. The glow of the spell filled the entire active arena with a brilliant electric-blue glow, which was cast upon Zelos' face as he continued channeling mana into the spell.

The attack lasted a full minute, and thoroughly drained Fenrir of any remaining energy he might have had. Celsius, however, was still up and ready, preparing to attack once again.

Zelos was caught up in the freezing cage of the spell Absolute. Moments later, he was thrown back by a Beast, which had caught him completely off-guard. He got up once more and prepared his onslaught.

He opened up by bringing his sword down on the ground and charging the blow with mana to create a massive shockwave: Fierce Demon Fang. He followed up by thrusting the sword forward with the power of wind and calling down upon the foe the power of lightning: Super Lightning Blade. His third attack was performed when he swung his sword in two wide arcs, each drawing massive shockwaves across the ground: Double Demon Fang. Finally, he completed the combo by drawing the enemy into the air with a spiraling slash and unleashing a magnificent spiral cut in midair to complete the technique: Victory Light Spear.

Celsius fell back, her battle energy having been spent. Fenrir, who now felt willed enough to move, stood on its feet again, its four eyes intently watching Zelos.

"Your power is certainly admirable," the greater Summon Spirit said, her cold gaze turning upon Zelos. "You certainly seem trustworthy enough. Speak your vow."

Zelos cleared his throat. "I vow to seal the Book of Niflheim and save this world from its treacherous onslaught."

"Very well," Celsius said. "I'll place my power in your hands." Her tone became more demanding and slightly suspicious. "Use it well."

Celsius seemed to dissolve in a brilliant stream of ice-blue mana; Fenrir followed suit, the two joining together at a bright spot floating right above Zelos. The sphere floated down, and once it had reached Zelos' hand, it revealed the same sapphire that had been taken from Sheena earlier.

"You sure know a lot of stuff," Zelos said, turning to Sheena.

"Yep, that I do," Sheena said, blushing slightly even as she smiled. "I had to learn a lot, seeing as I lived in the village of Mizuho and all."

"Regardless, you're still pretty smart," Zelos said. "You're definitely smarter than the average person." He shifted his eyes to the gem that lay in his hand. "Now, about the next pact...?"

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Author's Note: Cliffie! Evil Cliffhangers Attack Once More! Bwahahahahahahahaha!

(braces self for smacking)

Yeah, I'll shut up now. I may or may not update this fanfic, so keep your eyes out. Got it?