Eternity Cries

A town destroyed, a girl destined to save her world, and the boy who will be her guardian. An assassin misguidedly trying to save her people, a half-elfin scholar in pursuit of her stolen family, and a warrior lost seeking out love again. A band of renegade children, Renegades after the Chosen's heart, and a murderer seeking to atone for his sin… They are destined to cross paths, fight, join forces, and rise together to defeat a fallen hero trapped in the world of his mind. Trapped in the delusion of saving his dead sister… Symphonia is only the beginning…

Chapter One: Count the Stars

Iselia had vanished into the night. No, not vanished, it had been destroyed. Had anyone survived the fire that swept through? He believed perhaps someone had, perhaps his friend whom he loved very much had lived one, as was foretold.

So, when he had awoken to the ashen skies of the aftermath, he had fled through the woods to the town gates and seen the full extent of the damage. None could live through that, he was sure of it. But there she was, unharmed, crying over the body of her dead father.

He laid his hand across her shoulder and guided her from the ruins of her home, taking her with him to his own home. It was only then that he remembered, today was her sixteenth birthday.

When she had calmed down enough, she explained to him what had happened. "I went to receive the oracle last night, we were going to leave tomorrow, but then last night it rained fire from the sky, and burned Iselia to the ground." She was strong and did not cry, but even she could not summon a cheerful façade. He, and the dwarven man he called his father, comforted girl, then left to speak of it alone.

He stared at his mother's grave, refusing to look up. "I have to go with her."

"Are you crazy?" His dad asked him with a fierce glare. "You could get killed. You and Colette both."

"But I have to go with her, to save the world. She'll get killed if I don't protect her."

His father sighed. "Fine, but I won't let either of you leave here empty handed, before you leave tomorrow, come see me, I have something I want to give you."

"Of course." With a nod, the dwarf left the child he had raised to be alone with his mother. "Mom, why do awful things like this happen? What did Iselia ever do to deserve destruction? Well, I'm leaving tomorrow, so I won't see you for a while, but I hope you'll keep watch over me and Colette. I want to help her save the world, and put a stop to the Desian's cruelty."

He stayed in the company of his mother for much of the day, then returned to his home. Colette, his best friend, slept on his bed, never stirring as he packed his belongings for the hard trip ahead. The two swords he had carved from wood rested over his pack at the foot of his bed as he too, prepared for sleep.

Late that night, the girl stirred. "Lloyd?" She called softly to the sleeping form on the floor.

"Yeah?"

"Let's go outside and look at the stars."

"Sure." So the two rose and stepped out onto the terrace. "By the way, happy birthday Colette. I'm sorry I don't have a present for you."

She smiled, brushing away her blonde hair. "That's okay, just being with you is enough." She glanced skyward. "Look at all the stars. I wonder how many there are in the sky."

Lloyd also watched the stars. "I remember once, a very long time ago, someone told me that a human life is far to short to count them all, but I'd like to give it a try anyway."

The girl smiled at him, "Then let's try." She pointed upward. "One, two, three, four, five, six…"

He joined in. "Seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven… Say, Colette, how do we know if we've already counted a star once?"

"Hmm, I guess we don't but not knowing shouldn't stop us from trying."

"Yeah, you're right." So they counted the stars until they fell asleep.

The next morning, when the sun rose to wake them, the two youths prepared to set out. Dirk, the dwarf, gave them food and supplies, then took Lloyd to his mother's grave. "There is something I must tell you, but before I do, you must promise not to act rashly. Let Colette regenerate the world and leave the Desians be, they will vanish when the regeneration is complete."

"What is it, Dad?"

His father pulled a small glowing red orb from his pocket, an exsphere. "Your mother didn't die in an accident. She was murdered." He paused to let the information sink in, then placed the exspere in his son's hand. "She fled the Desians with this exspere and they killed her. She wanted you to have it, so now is the time. Protect Colette with this, it's your mother's memento."

He nodded. "I promise. I will protect Colette and avenge my mom by regenerating the world." He took the exspere and the key crest, "Goodbye, Dad."

"Whenever you're tired, just come home, I'll always be here for you."

Those were his parting words as he watched them leave.

"Be well, my son."

I am crying. I don't understand it. Perhaps it is because he is crying.

I think of the stars and rise to my darkness. Slowly, I will lose my mind, this bond I hold with him will drive me insane. So I know what I must do.

"I will leave here, goodbye." I say simply and immediately my two companions object.

"They will kill you, the world is not kind and you have lived here twelve years, what do you remember of the outside world?"

"Nothing." I reply, "But I am losing my mind in this darkness, I have to find my brother and put an end to his suffering."

The eldest, Kate, backs away. "You have not seen him for so long, since they fled. I think now they are safe from human hands."

"Then why is he crying?" I am not nearly as old as Kate, or Levine, the only male in our group, but I am no fool. "I can feel him crying. You can help me leave or you can try to stop me, but I will go to him.

Kate bows to my determination. "The gates of Sybak close at night, but leaving during the day raises to many suspicions." she shows me a secret passage. "This will take you above ground. Go to him, then, but be careful. If you are caught we will all die."

I understand. "What will you tell the humans?"

"We will wake up the morning after you leave and raise a fuss. They will seek you out. Hide in the Gaorocchi forest to the North and make your way to Altamira. Go to the Otherworldly Gate, it will take you to Sylvarant, the legendary land."

"Thank you, for everything."

"Now, the gate opens on a full moon, so watch it's phases each night, and travel only by night." She handed me a staff. "Use this to protect yourself."

That night, I fled from the basement lab where I had lived for twelve years, and made my way to Sylvarant in search of a brother I had lost so very long ago with only a legend I barely believed to guide me…

Ending Notes: You know how they talk about Polite/Proper speech in Japanese? Well, it exists in English too, I speak with a proper manner (Yes, instead of Yeah. Mother, Father, changes in sentence flow), so it's easier to write characters with the same speech pattern which in Tales only Kratos and Regal have, I swear. So it makes writing Lloyd especially hard because not only does he have a foul mouth, he speaks casually to everyone.

Glad this chapter is done. There is so much to this story that I didn't really focus on Iselia to much, because I want to get Genis, Presea, Raine, and a couple of OC's in there.

BTW: Levine is the name I gave Kate's assistant. So he is a character in the game, just an unnamed one.

Triet ruins. Colette leads the way to the seal of fire but they catch a band of thieving children in their camp late one night. All of them bear exsperes with special key crests and are lead by the cocky mage called Genis and the silent Presea. Who are they really, and where do they come from? Chapter Two: The Children of Darkness.