(A/N) Sorry I'm a bit late- college applications *ugh* I literally wrote this while filling out crap side-by-side. Anyways, faithful followers, it's what you've all been waiting for! Enjoy! Shout out at the end!
Disclaimer: I don't own Symphonia, but this plot line is allllllll minnneeee.
Chapter 22
"Keep him off my back!" The blonde boy yelled from somewhere to Yuan's left. The Sylvaranti ripped his focus from the very very pretty half-elf behind him to give the caster a brief nod. Did he mention she was beautiful? Her hair lay down in wavy tresses and her face was like that of an angel, it was as if she-
"Yuan, focus!" Kratos' commanding battle-voice rang next to him, bringing him back to the matter at hand. Yuan Kaafei didn't get sidetracked so he grunted in acknowledgement and slid a calculating glance over their newest opponent. He felt the blood drain from his face, as he met the cool red orbs. The shivering and ever-snapping ball of electricity looked next to impossible to defeat. How do you triumph when your adversary is energy itself? Both Kratos and he twisted to the side to coordinate their unison strike, as they tended to almost always begin a battle with a combined attack, but the massive surge in mana activity caused them both to slide to a stop and activate their magical barriers.
The room had become a conductive sea of lightning, the mana overpowering Yuan's senses and barrier with sheer force. The crackling pillars of light had subsided not long after, but the noise left everyone's ears ringing and eyes blinking it away. Yuan could see Kratos recover swifter than he did, and the auburn shock of hair disappeared in a feat of speed behind the creature. Yuan followed through on the front side and brought his butterfly blade across his body experimentally. The metal flecked off of the enormous sphere with an audible crack, slivers of electricity traveling up the handle to pinprick his fingers with shots of pain. He hissed and withdrew quickly as the beast, -er, thing spun around and trained its viciously deep eyes on himself.
Kratos had come to the same conclusion as well, though he seemed unperturbed by the sparks that rolled off the orb like water.
"It's not working," the frustration was evident in the tenor of his voice, but he rolled and hacked away fruitlessly nevertheless. At least his rapid movement kept him from getting shocked as the thing grew more and more flustered with his attempts.
Yuan was still sizing up his options when Kratos sprung next to him, drawing the attention to his location. He didn't know how the Tethe'allan was still able to pin an irate glance on him despite the dire situation.
"I recall several years ago, when you agreed to be the diversion if such a circumstance ever arose." Yuan was almost too put off to dodge the next blast of lightning that he could see forming above them. Was Kratos joking at a time like this?
"Well, I didn't think we'd run into another problem like this one!" Yuan stammered a defensive reply, pulling off an indignant yell- which elicited a few strange looks from the two casting half-elves behind them. Kratos rolled his eyes at the same moment the blonde one- Mithos, he thought he'd heard, released a spell.
"Stalagmite!" the boy caught the little ball inside his kendama as the mana worked its way through the ground beneath their feet, springing up into an impressive column underneath the electrically based being. Earth magic would do the trick, Yuan thought with an inkling of hope, as the creature lost some of its intensity to the grounding the new circuit made. At first, he thought it might be even simpler than that, because the orb jolted and twitched erratically as if trying to free itself. He saw his opportunity at that moment and activated one of his brief elementary spells to strike while the creature was still down.
"Stone blast!" He extended a hand, and as the pointed stones fractured the floor and pierced the body, Kratos released a heavy blow of mana alongside the strike of his sword as he brought it down in anticipation of Yuan's strike.
"Fierce Demon Fang!" Kratos' deeper voice yelled as the monster of mana was forced down onto the earthen extensions and seemed to hiss in pain. Kratos was propelled off of it with a great force and array of sparks, but he caught himself in a crouch and Yuan could see the sphere fade and weaken.
"Keep using your earth spells!" He called to the rather skilled half-elf caster, while making eye contact with Kratos, "We have to push him into a corner, if we cut down his mobility, then all the electricity should subside with contact to a ground source." Kratos gave a curt nod as they both coiled into attack stances. Before they pounced from either side, the monster's sporadic movements were arrested by a curious looking light spell- the likes of which Yuan had not seen.
"Photon!" A distinctly feminine voice, hard with determination sounded from the opposite side of the room, and needles of sparkling white light collapsed into the sparking mass of energy, flaming once before fading away. The woman- Martel, had her staff extended and an ethereal look about her as the only source of pure light in a violet setting of a dimmer hue. Yuan was momentarily caught in awe, but not for long before the sound of Kratos' light footsteps directed him to the very angry beast.
"Keep casting, Yuan!" He slipped underneath and cut behind the monster with a twirling Light Spear attack, which he could tell kept it at bay for a few moments longer. The unbridled energy was roiling now, though, and Yuan knew that Kratos could barely handle it when it was stationary, but the jerky and lightning fast motions it was employing made it hard to get a read on. Very clearly, it directed itself at the, until now, well-protected half-elves nearer to the back of the platform.
It knew that spells were its greatest weakness, and Kratos could do little to slow it single-handedly.
Instead of settling for a spell that would last longer, Yuan briefly endowed his blade with earthen qualities, whispering the words and seeing the mana pouring from his hands form like a rock encasement around his blade. The ends fell forward with added weight, but it was a welcome burden, and he swiftly spun it and leapt after the powerful entity. The danger with this strike was the looming threat of electrocution.
"Kratos!" He yelled in warning, and was grateful to see the man knowingly duck into a spin away from his angle of attack. Releasing his make-shift spear at the peak of his leap, the blade spun quickly into the belly of the creature, sparking soundly as it planted itself firmly in the stone beneath the flickering orb. The arcs within connected at random, but the vibrancy of the purple arcs seemed to be dimming perceptibly, and Kratos thrust his hilt forward into a sonic thrust while Mithos released a final Stone Blast.
The combined puncturing of the energy mass released the shocks of lightning in one final, deafening crack of power that seemed ubiquitous. Kratos wasn't so lucky as to get his Guardian up in time, but the sparks were so much weaker than before, that Yuan only saw him get pushed backwards onto his side. Mithos was nearest to him, and had resourcefully constructed a magical barrier in front of them both. Eyes drawn across the stone flooring, he saw the green hair fly behind Martel as she deflected the sparks around both her and the human researcher skillfully. The wave of mana was the remainder of what energy lay within the creature, and with the energy dissipating and diluting itself within the room, Yuan felt the charged air cool considerably.
"I think it's over," Yuan relaxed his shoulders and went to retrieve his butterfly blade from its rock-encrusted position impaled into the floor, now thanks to Mithos, surrounded by a mound of spiky stone teeth reminiscent of his Stone Blast. Kratos stirred from the ground as he pushed himself up onto his elbows to stand, looking a little worse for wear, but overall not too bad.
Just as Yuan managed to wretch the weapon from the jaws of the floor, the rocks falling away at the touch of his mana, a shiver ran up his spine. The manifestation of power revived in the center of the dais, off in front of them. He could feel the fragments of mana gather themselves and draw into a closely knit center.
"It's not over," Martel shifted back into her battle stance, staff angled with both hands. At that moment the hissing and cracking voice grated across the room.
"Summoner, you have defeated me. I accept your power and ask that you make your vow to tie the pact."
A murmur of confusion escaped Yuan, and Kratos' brow furrowed as well. Who was the Summoner? Martel stepped forwards, eyes alight and burning with something analogous to bravery, but not quite matching confidence.
"A 'vow'-" Martel spoke aloud as the wheels began to turn. Summoning- 'it allowed the elves to ask upon long lost creatures for power in exchange for a promise.' A promise. A vow. Could she make a so-called pact with a being of such power?
"This Summoner you speak of-" she projected strongly towards the dais, "is it myself?" Her voice felt bigger as it bounced off of the walls, but she'd never felt smaller before in her life. The long pause that followed made her uneasy, and her knuckles turned white with her tight grip on her staff.
"No. I grow impatient. Summoner, make your vow or risk the threat of exposure to my full power."
Martel felt the weight of uncertainty lift and she spun enthusiastically to Mithos, tugging him forwards with hurried motions of her arms.
"Mithos, he's talking to you." She left a hand on his shoulder in comfort and squeezed lightly, "You need to make him a promise." Mithos gave her a blank look and his forehead crinkled in confusion. He had little to no clue what was going on, but Martel prodded him anyways.
"A promise? What kind of promise?" He asked with befuddlement shining through his expressive blue eyes. Martel glanced up at the platform once, seeing the being materialize again in the center, the luminous, crimson, almond-shaped eyes brightening out of the shadows. Pursing her lips, she then met Mithos' questioning gaze.
"If you had any power in the world, what would you do with it?" Mithos' eyes fell downcast as he thought, but not a moment later he perked up.
"If I had power," He began tentatively, voice getting louder as he went, "I would stop the fighting, and find a place where half-elves could live free of discrimination." The corners of Martel's mouth turned up as she anxiously awaited the response from the Summon Spirit. Mithos still looked uncomfortable and shaken up, but she could explain just as well if they were successful.
"A worthy pact." The voice rattled, "You have the power of Volt at your service." the oppressive energy dissipated again, as the red eyes faded, the energy condensing into a small, brilliant sphere of mana that softly drifted towards the blonde boy.
"Ah!" Mithos took a half-step back as it approached him, "What is it?" Martel kept a hand at his back reassuringly, but the purplish light flashed and disappeared as soon as it touched his skin. A sharp gasp escaped his lips, but other than that, he was perfectly fine. Martel's worry subsided in favor of excitement. The presence was gone completely now, Mithos' mana felt stronger, and the exhilaration of the battle had not yet worn off.
"What just happened?" The teal-haired man asked, and Martel was sure that he had said his name was Yuan before the Summon Spirit appeared. She felt her face split into a full-blown smile as it all began to sink in. Xilia had slipped out from behind her, seeming unsettled as she brushed her arms as if she was cold. She probably looked like a lunatic, smiling at a time like this, but she finally understood.
"They're Summon Spirits." She explained, watching Xilia's expression as her colleague's eyes sharpened behind the spectacles. "The source of the mana fluctuations- they're beings. Creatures of power that control a certain type of fixed mana. They balance the world's flow, but if something goes wrong at the source- then things could get hard to balance." She was gesturing wildly to keep up. Xilia nodded.
"Like in the myths! Mana-based entities- that means..." she looked wide eyed at Mithos' slight form, "You have the power to call upon it again." Mithos very truly went bug-eyed at that last statement.
"No I can't! That thing almost killed us! I don't think I'd even want to call it." He crossed his arms childishly and turned up his nose, as if to say 'It's not possible anyways'. The way he averted his gaze from his sister, he managed to lock eyes with Yuan instead. The piercingly sharp look he was appraising him with seemed to deflate him a little.
"Seriously?" Yuan asked while crossing his arms as well, "If you had that kind of power, I thought you'd do what you promised. Why not stop the war?" Martel nodded in approval. The one who went by Kratos walked up beside them, a look of apprehension still on his face, auburn locks splayed every which way from what must've been a considerable amount of electricity.
Kratos kept his eyes down as he returned to the collection of half-elves and humans that circled just off center of the heavy, but now calm platform. He was partway listening to what was going on, but most of his thoughts were directed inwards. Something had happened that he couldn't pinpoint- the lack of feeling was keeping him from noticing what was happening, but something was definitely wrong. Something felt off, yet he couldn't feel at all. He didn't want whatever it was to spring up behind him unnoticed like the last time.
He threw a glance over himself discreetly as he sheathed his sword, not noticing any new wounds, while the bandages seemed to be holding their own just fine. His sight and hearing remained precise- perfect. Meanwhile the others were discussing the possibility of 'Summon Spirits', which all in all made much more sense to him than one might expect. The incident in Triet had to have been caused by one such being going out of control.
The mana crisis had a worldly effect, and he took the new developments in stride as one should. But he couldn't handle not knowing what was wrong with him now. The ball of electricity, or Volt as it identified itself so clearly, had not done any lasting damage to him despite its best efforts, yet he could feel the degree of power it contained. It hadn't even faced them with a fraction of its full abilities. An ally like that could do wonders in whatever the child pursued- be it good or evil goals.
Though the strangers seemed of an admirable merit, he had to question their sense if they were planning on completing such a journey alone. Kratos looked up from the marked stone floor to examine the others. The boy, no more than twelve, sported a ponderous expression as he began to understand the weight of his spur-of-the-moment vow. The green-haired girl seemed above everything else, pleased with their exploits, which Kratos could not say he approved wholeheartedly of. They had been lucky, and nothing more than that, that he and Yuan found them before they were electrocuted.
He sighed slightly to himself in disapproval before he realized it, and masked his expression the best he could. Yuan didn't notice, by some miracle, and Kratos had thought he'd gotten away clean, but the young half-elf caught his eyes immediately afterwards.
"Is there some kind of problem?" The bratty, confrontational approach did surprise Kratos a bit- hadn't he been near cordial with Yuan earlier? A single raised auburn eyebrow preceded his retort, very likely going to be something with no tolerance for ungrateful remarks. He opened his mouth and his lips formed words.
But no sound came out.
Pausing after the first word, Kratos tried again without any result. When that didn't work, he muttered every curse word he knew and turned away angrily.
He was angry at himself for not taking care of it earlier, and angry at the damn Cruxis Crystal that was hell-bent on destroying his humanity. His back turned to the group, he didn't miss the short pause and gaping stare Yuan in particular had burning on his back.
"Kratos?" The questioning hint to the words was quickly overcome by a demanding one, "What the hell is going on?" Martel inclined her head in confusion.
"Can you not speak?" At that Kratos ran a hand through his hair frustratedly, not caring when the burnet strands fell back into his eyes. Yanking off his glove, he gestured harshly to the back of his hand where the exsphere lay glowing once again. The bright crimson was bordering on dazzling and lively- as if it was mocking his difficulty with communication. Xilia looked immediately appalled at the prospect.
"The Cruxis Crystal?" She asked at the same time Yuan muttered, "The exsphere?" Xilia rushed towards him to examine it and grabbed his hand none too harshly to bring it closer to her glasses.
Kratos pressed his lips firmly into a line. This was by far one of the worst outcomes. He'd reached the point he had attempted to avoid, the moment he could no longer conceal whatever sickness the crystal imbued in him. He had been foolish enough to think he'd make it in time. Yuan's face shifted through emotions so quickly, it was like reading a book. First surprise, confusion, anger, and then concern. Kratos figured the anger had much to do with the rather unsurprised manner he had taken it in, but when Yuan got concerned, it was time to worry. It wasn't bad enough to merit his companion's anxiety, was it?
"What's it doing to him?!" Yuan was at his side faster than one could blink and peered frantically into the red gem as if he could see what the researcher couldn't. Kratos suppressed the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. It was going to be a damn long explanation.
And Hell would freeze over before he participated in anything resembling charades.
Mithos' expression quickly transformed from cold defensiveness to an intrigued enthrallment, "He really can't talk?"
The curiosity was so unadulterated that Kratos was merely content without it being another glance of anxiety or pity. The boy hesitantly hung back as Yuan buzzed about Xilia, restlessly spewing almost uncouth questions without giving her a chance to answer. The scientist straightened her frames and met his gaze neutrally.
"I had no idea your Crystal had progressed so far- there's no way for me to tell by color alone. But, my best guess is a problem with the mana filtration aspect, because that was where the simulations were having difficulty beforehand. To truly get a good look at the problem, we need to head back to the Institute." Kratos would have said she was oddly almost light-hearted, if he was concerned with such trivial matters.
A slight shake of the head and a step or two in the proper direction got everyone going, Yuan in particular trotting behind him and training those annoyingly calculating stares on him when he thought Kratos wasn't looking. Meeting his friend's eyes during one such occasion caused the Tethe'allan's gut to clench with guilt. Why did the half-elf have to care so damn much? It mentally hurt to see the turmoil Yuan was flitting through- a cross between fury and unmitigated anxiety. He shifted so often that Kratos had no clue which he was experiencing at which moments, just that they were happening.
They walked alongside one another in a tense silence, navigating the labyrinth easily by sensing the receding mana levels. It was still dark outside, if the skylights were anything to go by, and Kratos noted with little relief that the rain must've stopped for a few stars to be visible above them. Martel and Xilia hung back with Mithos, evidently unsure as how to proceed, but for the most part it was simply uncomfortable.
"How did this happen?" Yuan muttered quietly, but all the same Kratos opened his mouth as if to respond. He then shut it half a second later and grit his teeth in frustration.
" Oh. Sorry," Yuan shook his head in understanding, "We'll get you fixed." It sounded like he was convincing himself more than anything else, and that scared him. Kratos still seemed peevish, setting his hand roughly on his sheath and averting his gaze mutely. The footfalls echoed loudly, and when their boots hit water, the splashes were the only noise aside from breathing. The damp fields were ahead, a dark blue background to the pitch dark walls that made up the strange temple.
As they broke into free air, the little blonde boy jogged to catch up to them- either displeased with the other conversation that had gone murmuring on behind them, or captivated by the idea of two strangers.
"Hey! Wait up!" He caught the end of Yuan's cape and gave it a quick tug as he matched pace with them.
"What do you want, kid?" Yuan was in a bad mood, and figured the boy had some sick satisfaction in Kratos' misfortune.
"I just wanted to talk to you guys," Mithos humphed and nervously fingered his kendama. Yuan shrugged half-heartedly, finding Kratos seemed to have tuned them both out by the distant look to his eyes.
"You can talk to one of us," he openly gestured to himself and allowed the boy to speak.
"'Kay." He brightly trotted besides him, blue eyes dark in the night, "Are you guys soldiers? Or mercenaries?" The openness was sweet and innocent to Yuan's ears, until the boy added, "Are you his servant or something?" Bitterly, Yuan's eyes narrowed and he could see Mithos' eyes dart across him to Kratos. Apparently Kratos had been listening more than Yuan thought, because the spectacular glare made Mithos jump back in surprise and fear.
"We're both soldiers." Yuan felt the ice slipping into his tone unnecessarily. Mithos blanched visibly, even in the dark. "We're friends." He felt the need to add. The boy shuffled his feet awkwardly.
"I just thought- well," He scratched the back of his head, "I've never really heard of a half-elf soldier before." Yuan's face softened and he cocked his head to the side.
"Wouldn't you rather be a soldier than a servant?" Yuan fixed his still damp ponytail, while Mithos seemed to be thinking deeply.
"They're the same thing." He suggested boldly. "If you don't want to fight, and you have to, then you're no better than a servant to the government." Yuan shook his head.
"A true point, but I'm trying to get a different one across." Yuan met his eyes, "Don't let anyone tell you what to be- do what you want and prove them wrong." Mithos seemed to recoil back into himself on that and Yuan let him think. As half-elves, both the boy and the woman must've had their share of discrimination, and he wouldn't hold the thought against either of them.
Mithos did his best not to gape at Yuan. What radical way of thinking did these strangers employ? He couldn't tell whether or not they might be joking. Quite simply, the mentality was too good to be true. How could they expect him to achieve what he wanted to while also facing discrimination? He didn't see an enemy in them, but he certainly was surprised by their closeness. A half-elf and a human embarking on travel together was not too peculiar, but both claiming to be friends- that was unheard of.
The human fascinated him. Somehow he captured an unstable kind of danger in his almost unassuming demeanor, yet as much as Mithos wanted to be able to antagonize him, he couldn't. There was no way he trusted him, but he also couldn't find the will to hate him like he felt he should. 'Kratos' had come across as blunt to the point of rudeness, yet so formal that he seemed genuinely put off by Mithos' own questions. Mithos didn't know what to think.
Sensing the newcomer's mana signatures had thrown him for a loop. At first he had thought the half-elf's mana was the powerful, exceptionally bright signature. Now that he had zeroed in on it, he found it to be the human's of all people. Yuan's was formidable to be sure, but the chaotic energy within Kratos was sharp and tasted metallic on his tongue- strong on a different scale. Whatever the case, these two were unusual in every regard. He couldn't anticipate their actions, and he got the feeling they were trying to teach him life-lessons.
Then there was the matter at hand. The human could no longer speak.
Mithos was interested in the sudden change, but what drew his attention even more was how Yuan rushed to the auburn haired man's side and danced about attentively. The human clearly didn't like being the focus of his anxiety, but he didn't have a choice in the matter. It was clear that the half-elf cared for him. Mithos didn't understand that much.
He must have a type of Stockholm syndrome.
For the moment, he continued to watch them closely. The dark would lift soon in favor of daybreak, and by then they could be back in Sybak again. He wouldn't pretend to understand the issue that had just passed; he only knew that he was instilled with something akin to power. Later, he'd have to test it, but for now he was weary and worn out from mana usage. His limbs hung limply from exhaustion, yet he felt stronger. The light that had touched him felt as if it was absorbed into his very being, spreading throughout his entire body.
So many things were changing at once- he was eager to see where it might take them.
The sun peaked over the tree line ahead of them, and the maelstrom had passed. With a pale light slowly drifting over the landscape, Mithos couldn't help but feel that the worst was behind them.
(A/N) Okay guys- here's the deal! I recently got my brother into fanfic! YES! His profile name is Malchezzar, and I helped him out with grammar and the plot of his new Symphonia-Xillia crossover story. Since it's a crossover, nobody really sees it unless they're looking, so check it out for me, kay? Don't want him to get discouraged XD. Tales of Xillia is a great game, and I enjoyed it, but c'mon. It ain't my precious Symphonia! His story is Tales of Xillia: Salvation, and you can find him on my fav author page. Please drop by and toss him a review if you wanna!
Review? Thanx for reading as always! x)