Crystal Feathers: A Fanfic by Gyppy
Timeline: Based 2 years after 'To Kill An Angel'
Summary: After Niflheim was sealed, Lloyd thought the evils of the world to be dead. The group split up, expecting peace and quiet to reign around the world.
However, they were all in for a big surprise. Two years after Niflheim was sealed, the rising shadow that once concealed the world began to rise again... and now, Lloyd and the others must go on a journey to uncover the cause of the Rising Shadow and seal it away forever.
Pairings: LloydxColette and ZelosxSheena primarily, with some MithosxOC, YggdrasillxPronyma and GenisxPresea. There will also be hints at SelesxOC, YuanxMartel and KratosxRaine.
Author's Note: For the sake of keeping true to the storyline of Rising Shadow, there will be (as probably expected) very few hints at KxR. This is primarily to avoid offending all those random purists out there. I know that most of the purists will end up hating this story because of a few other pairings, but KxR seems to be the most hated of them.
As you all probably know, I'm a big fan of KxR. It's an official pairing in this storyline, though it will be rather rare. This fanfic will mostly focus on the action, though there will be some fluff inserted here and there.
This fanfic is based two years after 'To Kill An Angel', four years after 'Rising Shadow'. Therefore, Lloyd is 21, Colette is 20, Zelos is 26, Sheena is 23, Genis is 16, Presea is 16, Raine is 27, Abyssion is 27, Leviathan is 20, Seles is 18, Allurya is 8, Mithos is 16 and Karina is 15.
I might introduce more Tales of Destiny 2 characters later on.
Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia, Tales of Destiny/Tales of Destiny 2, Namco, Final Fantasy or Squaresoft/Square-Enix.
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Chapter 10: Atwight's Secret
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The group's next destination was the same dimensional shift that Lloyd had encountered Rutee in earlier. They headed for Triet, then continued on westward to their next location.
With Kaze-Tenshi's assistance, they passed through the dimensional shift, into its very core.
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"So, we meet again," Rutee's voice spoke, echoing through the chamber. "It's been a while since we last met... and it seems you've brought some new friends." She appeared in a flash of blue light, eyeing Judas.
"I'm not fighting alone this time," Judas said. "Do you remember the time you abandoned Kyle? Do you remember all those horrible days that you were controlled by Kaziro's spirit? Do you remember... abandoning me?"
"I remember it all," Rutee said. "You obviously don't remember, though... you were the one who abandoned me. Don't you remember?"
"I never abandoned you," Judas stated. "You have got to be kidding me! You started it all... the pain, the suffering... why would you do that just to bend to Kaziro's will?"
"You know there's only one thing that can break the will of Kaziro," Rutee said. "You know that you'll have to lose that mask someday..."
"I won't do it," Judas said. "There has to be some way around it... some way! Dammit, I can't let Kaziro take you over again!"
"Too late," Rutee said. "Kaziro knows your every move... he watches through Atwight's eyes."
"What?" Judas jumped back at this statement.
"Kaziro took Atwight first," Rutee said. "And it's Kaziro who controls Dymlos as well. There's one other Swordian that is controlled by Kaziro, however... you'll just have to wait and see."
"I'll have to destroy Atwight, then," Judas said. "I can't be letting Kaziro take over. I can't betray anyone... anyone who I've made promises to!"
"Your promises fell on deaf ears, Judas," Rutee said. "You made promises blindly, without even stopping to think about how they would affect you or others. Now, as it stands... are you ready?"
Rutee drew Atwight, its blade shining in the light of the stalactites above them. Judas closed his eyes as he drew Chaltier's blade, and opened them once again as he drew his shortsword.
"I'm ready for you," Judas said. Then, he turned to face the others. "Draw your weapons. This is going to be a long and hard fight."
Kyle, Loni, Zelos, Lloyd and Reala all drew their weapons, ready to take on their foe. Raine stood back, as she knew her help would be needed in this fight, and she didn't want to waste energy.
Judas turned to face Rutee again, and their eyes met for one brief moment. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to kill you... but it seems I may have to."
Rutee made the first move, bringing Atwight's blade forward to attack Judas. However, her attack was blocked, and Judas retaliated by thrusting Chaltier's blade forward. The attack was swiftly dodged, and Judas' strike flew off into space.
Kyle made his first move by performing Tiger Blade, which was enough to knock back Rutee. Loni jumped forward, preparing his own attack.
The halberd that Loni wielded was swung forward, striking Rutee as a red-hot aura began to glimmer around him. A second strike tore up the earth, followed by three rapid and even more powerful strikes. Then, Loni leaped into the air and put his weapon away as a blue sphere encircled him.
"FINAL PRAYER!"
The energy of the blue sphere was focused in front of Loni, and he loosed a massive stream of shining mana forward. The attack struck Rutee several times, but she had managed to bring up Atwight to absorb some of the attack.
Rutee knew that Loni's attack had done a lot of damage, but she also knew that she could restore her energy at will. She performed a quick First Aid, then jumped back and loosed Ice Tornado.
Judas swore under his breath. "Do you think we can take her down...?"
His answer came in the form of a massive explosion from the roof of the cave, which sent Rutee flying. Kyle glanced back at Reala and gave her a thumbs-up.
"You little brats...!" Rutee launched herself forward, slashing three times with her sword and knocking back Lloyd. The Eternal Swordsman picked himself up and retaliated with his own attack, following up with Double Demon Fang.
Zelos attacked with Sonic Thrust, followed by Fierce Demon Fang, then Hell Pyre. Rutee quickly shook off the attack, and retaliated with Freeze Lancer, then Spread.
"Remember," Atwight's bearer said. "There's only one way to break the will of Kaziro. Only Judas possesses the power..."
'It looks like there's no other way out,' Chaltier said to its master. 'Do it.'
I have to do it, Judas thought. But... I'm not ready to break the mask... figures. I'll just build myself a new one.
Judas turned to face the others. "Everyone, stand back. I don't want any of you guys getting hurt."
Kyle looked confused, but listened anyhow. The others did as well, all with a similar confused reaction.
"Light of the heavens, come down upon this sword and reveal thy power!-"
Judas launched himself forward, his sword glimmering with the brilliant azure light of Shining Blade. He performed five swift slashes and thrusts, then jumped back.
"Flames of hell, unleash thy fury upon this foe!-"
The sword turned to a magnificent, shining purple, and Judas leaped forward again to perform four more slashes and thrusts with the blade of purple.
Rutee then realized what Judas was doing, and flinched as he brought down both swords upon her.
For one horrifying moment, suspended in time, the air filled with a most frightening chill, like Celsius herself had come down and struck with the force of a thousand blizzards. Then, the mask that Judas bore shattered, its fragments scattering across the cavern floor. Lloyd realized then that the sheer power of the strike had been enough to break the mask, and Judas was going to do something that none of them had ever expected.
Judas fell back, his sword glimmering with an eerie red light. Then-
"Majin-Rengoku-Satsu!"
The swordsman launched himself forward, slashing upwards with the shortsword and loosing a massive pillar of dark mana. Then, he backed off, and performed a thrust with Chaltier's blade, one that caused blades of dark mana to drill into Rutee's body, breaking her connection with Atwight for just one brief moment.
The force of the attack caused Judas to fly backwards, but he managed to stop himself before he collided with any of his allies. He calmly walked over to the spot where he had broken his mask and picked up the pieces, stowing them away for later restoration.
"The hell...?" Zelos seemed thorougly confused by this latest display.
"That was pretty good," Rutee said. "Seems like you've finally managed to get rid of that pesky Kaziro. Atwight, you okay?"
'Yeah, I'm fine,' the Swordian said. 'Just... you take care of yourself, okay? And it seems Judas doesn't want to part with his mask yet. You think you could fix that up as well?'
"It shouldn't be that hard," Rutee said. "But first, I need to take care of myself."
Rutee cast Cure on herself, then used Atwight's power to restore Judas' mask. The younger swordsman seemed confused at first, but simply decided to place the mask back on his head instead of sitting there brooding over it.
"I wasn't expecting to have to use it this soon," Judas muttered. "I hoped that I'd be able to break the connection with a simple Shadow Strike, but..."
"I understand the feeling," Rutee said. "I was hoping and praying that you wouldn't have to use it... but it was really kinda necessary, unfortunately. Thanks for helping me out, though." She sheathed Atwight and walked closer to Judas.
The younger swordsman sighed. "I'm sorry about that... heheh. Turns out Kaziro's will is a lot harder to break than I thought it would be..." He sheathed his swords. "Welcome back, Rutee."
Rutee smiled, and took Judas into an embrace. Judas removed his mask and hung it on Chaltier's hilt, then returned the embrace, a faint smile drifting its way onto his face.
"Ain't that just adorable," Zelos said, grinning. "Well, I hope you two are finished with being all mushy soon. We have to get back to Triet, y'know."
"Sorry about that," Rutee said, smirking. "It's just the first time in eighteen years he's seen me without Kaziro's will in control."
Lloyd nodded. "We'll head back soon, okay? Just... for now, I think these two need their time together. So just leave them be, alright?"
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Author's Note: Yep, there's Majin-Rengoku-Satsu for you. Betcha didn't see the part with the mask coming, did ya? And no, it's not Chaltier that's held by the will of Kaziro. You'll see which one it is later...