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 11: Unwilling Dymlos

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The group's next destination was the region near Meltokio, where the other dark aura had been spotted. However, they quickly found the Swordian Dymlos' bearer, as he didn't lie in a dimensional shift.

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"So, you've come." The tall man that stood before them was a sharp contrast to the other Swordian master Lloyd had met.

'And Atwight with them,' the voice of the Swordian Dymlos said.

"Your fight is hopeless," Judas stated. "You continue to follow the path of Kaziro, yet you do not realize the truth. Surrender now and consider your life saved."

"You honestly expect me to surrender?" Stahn's eyes smirked with his face, his expression genuinely menacing. "I thought you knew there was only one thing that can break the will of Kaziro."

'Oh, is there?' Atwight said.

"Hold on a second," Stahn said, stepping back as his expression softened. "What's up with Atwight? I could've sworn just two days ago she was acting perfectly normal..."

'It's you who's acting weird,' Chaltier said. 'Listening to the will of Kaziro, waiting for the Majin-Rengoku-Satsu to break Dymlos' deathgrip on you...'

'It's all futile,' Atwight said. 'The Majin-Rengoku-Satsu will never come. Judas is too weak to perform it.'

'Too 'weak', eh?' Dymlos 'smirked'. 'Well then, I'll just have to finish you off myself.'

This time it was Stahn who turned against the Swordian. "No! Don't you remember? Atwight was your most beloved companion! You can't just kill her off! That's... that's not right! You can't follow the path of Kaziro..."

Dymlos' aura blazed up. 'What do you mean? Atwight is just another worthless pawn of Cruxis now that her link to Kaziro has been broken. All of Rutee's efforts are futile... you cannot change what has already happened.'

"That's my... that's my..." Stahn turned away in an attempt to hide his anger from the others. "...that's my lover that you're insulting, there! You foolish Swordian... all you can see is the path that you have been brainwashed into believing by Kaziro!"

Judas' eyes widened. "He's actually strong enough to break his connection with Dymlos...?"

"You can't just turn your back on them," Stahn said. "You can't just... abandon them. They were your friends, remember? Igtenos was like your brother... annoying, but faithful and caring. Clemente... he was once your best friend, his master one of the most skilled of all. And Chaltier... do you remember your rivalry with him? It was such a beautiful relationship, one that could've turned around had you not betrayed him..."

'They're all foolish,' Dymlos said. 'Atwight especially... I can't believe her! She tried to kill me once...'

Stahn raised an eyebrow, then turned to face the others. "Hmph... seems he's not gonna listen to me on his own. He's practically been taken over by Kaziro." He shifted his eyes to Judas. "Use it."

Judas shook his head. "I can't. I'm too weak. Atwight was correct... I can't perform it..."

"Looks like I'm going to have to handle this by force, then." Stahn stepped forward. "Judas. Hand me Chaltier."

"And just what would you be doing with my Swordian?" Judas questioned.

"I'll need him," Stahn said. "Just... do it."

Judas nodded, questioning Stahn's judgment no further. He removed the Swordian from its sheath and calmly offered it to Stahn, who took it without hesitation.

Then, Stahn turned to face Rutee. "I'm gonna need Atwight too. This will be no minor task."

"Sure thing," Rutee said, handing over the Swordian.

"Alright." Stahn closed his eyes. "Holy lightning, I call upon thy power to bring punishment upon thy foe! Divine Judgment!"

All three Swordians lit up with a magnificent glow as the light of judgment fell upon Stahn. When the attack had finished, Dymlos' master collapsed onto the ground, dropping both Swordians.

"Stahn!" Rutee called out, rushing forward. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Stahn picked himself up. "Just... a little worn out. That attack did a number on my mana."

"You just attacked yourself without flinching," Judas said. "Why did you do that?"

"I had to do it," Stahn said. "Otherwise I could never have broken Kaziro's deathgrip on Dymlos. Of course, it's only a temporary solution... we'd either have to have the will broken by Majin-Rengoku-Satsu, or we'll have to eradicate Kaziro himself. I think the latter would be a better option."

"How long should the effects last?" Judas asked.

"About a month," Stahn replied. "It wasn't a very powerful attack. I didn't want to kill myself."

"Who is this Kaziro guy, anyway?" Lloyd's curiosity was piqued by the mention of Kaziro.

"Kaziro is a man who followed Nebilim's path," Judas replied, closing his eyes as he retrieved Chaltier. "The name Kaziro, to this day, instills fear in Swordian masters. He is capable of possessing people and forcing them to do his bidding, and I'd imagine the Swordians are no exception. Though how he escaped Niflheim's sealing remains a mystery..."

"That leaves only one option," Lloyd said. "If he's the one who possessed Atwight and Dymlos in the first place, then he's the one we've got to stop!"

"Stopping Kaziro won't be easy," Stahn said. "If he managed to escape Niflheim, then he probably stays around the Tower of Destruction's old ground. You know... the crater."

"Dammit..." Lloyd muttered. "That means... we won't be able to catch him..."

'We should catch up to the other Swordian masters,' Dymlos said. 'Garr especially. If we can manage to speak with him, we should be alright.'

"Yes," Stahn said. "Igtenos is a powerful Swordian. If we can enlist his assistance, we should be just fine."

"There's one other Swordian that is possessed," Rutee said. "We're still not sure whether it's Igtenos or Clemente."

"I doubt that's true," Judas said. "Even if there were, what's the chance it'd be a named one? There could be other Swordians out there, for all we know."

"We should make sure before we go," Rutee said. "If there really is another Swordian out there that's possessed, then perhaps breaking Kaziro's hold on it will weaken him."

'I have a bad feeling about this,' Chaltier said.

"Don't worry about it," Judas said. "I'll handle it if anything goes wrong. Remember, Majin-Rengoku-Satsu can break Kaziro's will easily. It won't be that hard."

'We'll see about that,' Dymlos said.

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Author's Note: I honestly have no idea what I'm going to do with Kaziro. If you, the readers, could contribute ideas, I would greatly appreciate it.

If you're having trouble picturing Stahn, he has hair and eyes similar to Kyle's, except with much longer hair. Like father like son. ;)