Hello ToS fans, avid readers, and bored people. Welcome to my fanfic, the first of a new saga entailing Lloyd's journey to destroy the Exspheres of the united world. Reviews are greatly appreciated, constructive criticism more so. Most of all, thanks for taking the time to read!
Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia or any of the characters from it. I do own, however, characters that are made up (not from the game basically) and take credit for them.
Warning: THERE ARE SPOILERS TO TALES OF SYMPHONIA IN THIS FANFICTION.
Full Summary:
Mithos has been defeated and the Great Tree of Mana has grown, allowing Sylvarant and Tethe'alla to become a united world. However, the fledgling land is in uncertain times. Desians continue to threaten the world and Renegade forces are stretched across the world to combat them while a radical papal army rises in Meltokio and half elves are wary and tense of humans following the Desian era. Enter Lloyd Irving, the hero who now journeys to destroy the life-draining Exspheres in the world. Lloyd and his companions will ultimately shape the destiny of the new world rising.
Chapter 1: The Third Hero
The figure that sat on a rock letting the morning breeze wave his untidy brown hair certainly did not look at first glance to be a hero. He was tall and slender with a red buttoned shirt, blue pants, and red boots. He looked like a common adventurer; a light brown travelers' pack lay next to the seventeen year old's seat and a belt with various necessities was strapped around his waist. Admittedly, his two dazzling swords, both sheathed, would have suggested that he wasn't quite the ordinary traveler.
In fact, he wasn't the ordinary traveler. Lloyd Irving was the hero who had wielded an ancient sword of legend, defeated angelic beings single-handedly, allowed a giant tree of flowing mana to grow, and had made whole a world that had been torn asunder thousands of years ago.
Lloyd yawned widely and blinked as the sun emerged from behind a cloud to shine in his eyes. He was tired and would much rather have been still asleep, but Colette had made him promise to be at the rock – the same rock he had gone to when he felt like ditching one of Raine's classroom lessons and taking a midday nap - at daybreak. In her letter she had given him a foreword that she had a wonderful surprise which, in her own words, would be a "great start for our journey!"
Now that Mithos was defeated, Lloyd was on another journey. He wanted to destroy all of the Exspheres in the world. Lloyd bitterly stared at the Exsphere engraved on his palm and remembered first discovering that Exspheres, which increased strength, stamina, reflexes, and speed drastically when embedded onto a life, were made from human life energy. He had said they were a mockery of life, and he still meant it. Mithos (not Yggdrasil anymore, he reminded himself), his Cruxis angels, and his half elf Desians had used them to enforce their control of both worlds, literally breeding humans in Desian ranches for the sole purpose of using their lives to power Exspheres.
The ranches were destroyed and Cruxis was defeated, but Exspheres still existed in the world. Lloyd wanted to end that, and he would do whatever it took. He had taken that vow during the quest to stop Mithos's planned Era of Lifeless Beings.
Now he sat here, a month later, ready to make it happen. If Colette would hurry up! He yawned again and squinted into the distance. The grass whispered and waved across the plains, but Colette was nowhere in sight.
"Hi Lloyd!"
Lloyd gave a start and fell forward, catching himself before he landed flat on his face, instantly recognizing the voice that had sounded joyously from behind him.
"Colette!" He exclaimed once he had gotten over his shock. He was smiling through his shock as he stood, brushed himself off and turned to look at his golden haired friend. "Don't scare me like that!"
"I'm sorry!" Colette said, and Lloyd had to fight down a laugh. Even after all this time, Colette was still a complete klutz and said sorry reflexively. It was what made her so endearing.
"But Lloyd, I'm sorry we were late, but we-"
"We?" Lloyd blurted suddenly. "Is this your surprise? Someone's coming with us?"
"Yes, that's right!" Colette exclaimed earnestly.
"Who is it? Genis? Sheena? Or is it-"
His answer came in the form of a slap on his back hard enough to send him stumbling forward several steps. Before he had recovered from this, a slender but strong hand wrapped around his neck, putting him into a surprisingly tight headlock.
"Well hey hey hey, it's the hero of the world! How you doin' Lloyd-o?" The voice was unmistakable.
"Argh, Zelos?" Lloyd yelled managing to turn his head upward slightly and see Zelos's long scarlet hair. "Geroff!" He shouted, struggling in Zelos's fierce grip.
With a laugh Zelos released him, and Lloyd turned around, massaging the back of his face to see his would-be attacker.
Zelos looked exactly the same as he had a month ago. Same white headband, red coat, black gloves, and white pants (personally made by the finest tailors in Meltokio, Zelos had bragged to Lloyd and Genis on one more than one occasion) and as he had just realized, same lighthearted outlook on life.
"You have to react faster than that while we're on the road, bud." Zelos instructed with an air of smugness. "If I had been a monster you might be dead."
Lloyd was almost too stunned to speak. "You're coming with us?"
"That's why I'm here!" Zelos replied lightly, as if it were obvious.
Lloyd stared at Zelos disbelievingly. During his time in Iselia and with Dirk at his house, he had thought often about his old friends. Whenever he had pictured whatever it was they were up to, Zelos in his mind's eye had been at his enormous mansion in Meltokio with a pretty girl on each arm!
Lloyd turned to Colette, who had been watching all of this interest. "Colette, how did Zelos learn about this? And did you know he was sneaking up on me?" He added as an afterthought.
"Well, I knew he was sneaking up but I'm sorry Lloyd, I promised Zelos I wouldn't tell you!" She was apologizing – as she always did – but Lloyd had the sense that Colette was enjoying herself. Being freed from the burden of being a Chosen of Mana must have lifted an enormous weight from her shoulders.
"But yes, Zelos came to me." Colette continued. "During one of the celebrations about the return of the Tree of Mana, Zelos asked me what I was planning on doing now that we had stopped Mithos. So I told him all about how you and I were going on our journey to destroy the Exspheres, and he seemed interested! He made me promise not to tell you though."
Lloyd turned to Zelos, who shrugged. "Hey, they always say the best kind of prize is a surprise, right bud?"
Lloyd couldn't help but laugh. "I don't get it though." Lloyd said, smiling slightly. Zelos was a ladies' man and had loved to use his status as the now former Chosen of Tethe'alla for his own gain, but his dedication and resoluteness never ceased to impress him. "Why would you want to come on another journey? I had always seen you spending all your time chasing after the girls in Meltokio."
"See, that's the problem, my friend." Zelos stated, sounding rather like Raine when she was stating something she considered obvious. "When you're done with a journey to reunite two worlds, bring back the Great Tree of Mana, and stop a misguided half elf turned angel from turning everyone into lifeless beings, you can't just settle down. There's a new world to journey across, Exspheres to destroy, and cute hunnies to meet!"
Unexpectedly, Zelos became somber. He lowered his voice and leaned towards Lloyd, and his customary smile slowly faded. "More than that though…I want to enjoy life as a normal person. Now that there's no need for Chosens, I…want to live like a human, instead of a descendent of angels."
"What?" This sudden mood swing startled Lloyd. Lloyd had gradually discovered that Zelos, whom he had assumed to revel in being the Chosen of Mana of Tethe'alla, privately wanted nothing more than a normal life. He spoke of this fleetingly and the occasions were few and far between.
"Especially since it caused me to, you know…at the Tower of Salvation."
Lloyd grimaced and Colette gazed at Zelos with pity. During their fight against Cruxis, Zelos had betrayed Lloyd, Colette, and the others, handing Colette over to Cruxis and leaving them to face the Gatekeeper, a powerful commander of the angels. In an equally surprising move, Zelos had turned against Mithos at the last second with help from Kratos, had freed Lloyd's trapped friends and Zelos had joined them to fight the leader of Cruxis. To Lloyd it now seemed like Zelos had not quite gotten over the guilt of deceiving his friends.
"Well I know how important life is now!" Colette suddenly piped up, turning the heads of both Lloyd and Zelos. Her expression grew cheerful. "Lloyd's taught me that being the Chosen was forced on me. I'm entitled to a life just like he is, and just like you are, Zelos!"
Zelos's smile returned immediately. "Colette, my adorable angel, you really know how to ruin a bad mood." He turned to Lloyd. "So what's the deal, can I come or what?"
"Well of course you can-"
"FANTASTIC!" Zelos bellowed, and clapped Lloyd on the back again, even harder than the first time. "Well man, Colette and me traveling together was a blast, but hey, I guess you can tag along too."
Lloyd wasn't sure whether to laugh or roll his eyes. This journey looked like it was going to be much more interesting than he expected.
In fact, Lloyd had no idea just how interesting a journey to destroy the Exspheres of the world was going to become.
Thanks for reading! More to come soon!