Summary: After the journey of world regeneration, Kratos decides to make a visit to the others. But after Raine is attacked, his plans for 'vacation' are ruined.
Rating: PG-13 (T)
Disclaimer: The Tales of Symphonia characters and previous plot belong to Namco & Kosuke Fujishima. I own only the plot of this story.

Salvation Vacation

Chapter Six : A New Threat

"I am Leth, the son of Kvar."

Several members of the group gasped sharply; Colette held a hand in front of her mouth in horror. Suddenly, the hologram screen flickered to life, presenting an image of a young half-elf in his early twenties; he appeared not much older than Lloyd.

"What's the matter, Irving? Did you really think you had eliminated us?"

Lloyd dashed forward and gripped the edges of the console, knuckles turning white in the process. "Dammit! How could you have survived! We destroyed everything here!"

The hologram shivered for a few moments; it appeared Leth was laughing. "As you said, Irving, everything here was destroyed. But do you take my father for a fool? After he executed my mother – what a useless woman, her only purpose being to give me life! - he took great pains to make sure I was safe.

"This obviously involved sending me away from the ranch. When I grew older, I gradually realized who I was - and who my father was. Unfortunately, when I returned to this area, I heard news that my father had been killed by your group. Then I realized my destiny. To destroy you!"

Genis couldn't resist the urge to smirk. "Wow, this guy really fits into the role of stereotypical villain, doesn't he?"

"Silence, traitor! A fellow half-elf turning on his own kind – betraying Lord Yggdrasill!"

Genis glared back. "That's not true! Mithos wasn't like you! He just.. just..." he faltered.

Raine stepped up. "You are promoting the same racism that made people start discriminating against half-elves in the first place."

"That's right!" Sheena nodded. "Don't try to act like you know what you're talking about. You've got everything mixed up!"

Leth remained silent for several moments before replying. "Let's see if you know what you're talking about. Take a minute to remember why you are here."

Sheena refocused and said quietly, "Kuchinawa..."

Zelos growled, "Seles... What did you do to my sister!"

Leth laughed once again. "I did nothing. Your so-called friends attacked you of their own accord. Although I daresay they may have had a little help; but you didn't see anyone forcing them to fight, did you? Ah, yes. This brings us back to the topic of traitors."

"No!" Colette shook her head. "I don't know what you did, but we're going to figure it out!"

"That's right!" Lloyd made a fist. "We'll get to the bottom of this and destroy you, too! Just like we did your father." He glanced at Kratos, whose eyes were filled with steel. The mercenary nodded.

"Hahahah! Well, then, let's see what you're capable of." The hologram disappeared once more.

Lloyd shook with anger. "I thought we'd seen the last of them!"

Genis nodded, eyes downcast. "I didn't think I'd have to fight another half-elf again." Raine put a hand on her younger brother's shoulder.

"And Kuchinawa and Seles..." Sheena whispered.

"Don't worry!" Zelos muttered. "We'll finish them off. Right, guys?" he questioned, once again returning to his usual self.

"Right!" Everyone said in unison, Kratos nodding.

"Well then, where will we start?" the seraph asked.

Raine's voice carried over, "I have an idea." The group turned back to the computer to see the Professor inputting data at an alarming rate. "I'm simply using the same technique we did when we reached the ranch for the first time." Suddenly, a map popped up on the holographic screen. "Got it!"

The map consisted of four colors: green, blue, yellow, and red. "Apparently, they represent different levels," Raine said slowly. "The green floor must be ground level, where we are now," she pointed to a small green box. "And here.." she typed a few more buttons, "is the basement area." The blue, yellow, and red areas flickered.

"What are they?" Lloyd asked.

"Rooms, silly!" Colette laughed.

"I think he was asking what their purpose is, dear," Raine corrected gently before typing for a few more moments. Text appeared on the screen.

"There seem to be three chambers. The blue rooms say 'manufacturing,' the red, 'containment,' and the yellow, 'research.'"

"Huh. I wonder what that all means?" Sheena asked.

"I don't have a clue," moaned Zelos.

"Heh, well, you weren't with us the first time around, anyway," the summoner said.

Kratos stepped up. "I can only assume this is set up like the human ranches were."

"But that doesn't make any sense!" interjected Genis. "Lloyd was on a mission to destroy all the exspheres!"

The swordsman nodded. "And we didn't leave any behind in the ranches, that's for sure."

"We're not going to get any answers just by standing here," said Raine. "We have to get in there, somehow."

"I've got that part covered," Sheena said with a smile, pulling out her cards and getting into her traditional stance. "I call upon the servant of Mother Earth! I summon thee, come, Gnome!"

With a burst of light, the summon spirit appeared in all his glory. "I'll crush ya!" he said devilishly, but stopped in mid-air when he realized there was nobody there to attack. "Uh, summoner lady? Whaddaya want?"

Sheena sweatdropped, muttering, "This guy is so hard to deal with!" Raising her voice, she instructed, "Gnome, I need you to open us a passageway to the building beneath the ground."

Gnome started, "But there's nothing- ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, I can sense it now! All righty, whatever you say, maaaaaaaaaaaster," he said, with extra sarcastic emphasis on the last syllable. "Hold on to your hats!"

"But we don't have- ah!" Colette shrieked, her wings extending of their own accord and lifting her off the ground.

"Woooooooooah!" shouted Lloyd as the ground quaked beneath him. The shaking knocked Zelos and Genis off their feet as well; Raine just managed to use her staff for balance. Slowly, a layer of dirt subsided to reveal an entranceway to the building.

"Mmph.." Genis spat out some dirt before glaring at the summon spirit. "It's just like the Triet Ruins!" Indeed, there was a stone panel somewhat lower than the surrounding rock.

Zelos stood up. "But how are we supposed to open that?" He turned to Gnome expectantly.

"Sorry, not my division! Guess I'll be going now," Gnome said before disappearing in a flash.

Sheena shuddered in annoyance. "I have no idea."

"Wait a moment." Everyone turned to Kratos. "Raine, if you would do the honors?"

"Ah.. of course!" she said, scurrying over the the control panel, which, luckily, had not been harmed in the quake. After a few beeps and button-pushings, the computer voice announced, "Accessway clear. Entranceway to ranch opening." With a rumble, the panel slid open.

"All right!" Lloyd shouted. "Raine really knows her stuff," he beamed.

"Way to go, sis!" added Genis. "Now..."

Kratos said, "We need a plan."

The group decided to go with the usual "human ranch strategy": they would split up into groups of three, each going to a different chamber. Lloyd, Colette, and Genis would head to the containment area, Zelos and Sheena would take the manufacturing chamber, while Kratos and Raine headed off to the research facility.

"Does this work out for everyone?" Raine asked.

"Of course!" Zelos cheered. "I get some personal time with my favorite hunny."

Sheena's eyes narrowed. "Oh, I just can't wait."

"All right, then. Charge!" Lloyd thrust his fist skyward.

Genis rolled his eyes. "Could you be any cheesier, Lloyd?"

"Shut it!"

And thus the group descended the stairway into the building full of confidence – albeit they were a little unnerved when the panel slid shut behind them; however, Raine assured the others that she would have no problem opening it once again. The three teams branched off when they met the great hallway, each going their separate ways.

Kratos and Raine branched to the right, heading towards the so-called research center.

"Somehow, I don't think we'll find anything encouraging," the Professor said.

"Yes, it is doubtful that anything good will come with the return of one of the Grand Cardinal's families."

"The way Seles acted..." she drifted off.

Kratos nodded. "Kuchinawa did not seem like his true self, either. Perhaps we'll uncover the mystery behind their actions soon enough."

"I hope so," Raine said. The hallway resonated with silence and the sound of footsteps for several minutes. "...Kratos?"

"Yes?"

"Are you looking to avenge Anna once again?" The swordsman bristled noticeably but remained silent. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have ask-"

"I doubt she would have wanted any more death to come in her name," he interrupted. "Anna... was rather forgiving, perhaps too much so... She had to be, to forgive me for what I did." Mystery reigned for several seconds longer. "I will fight now for your safety, not just for revenge."

Raine blushed slightly, hiding behind her hair. "That is truly a noble cause – fighting for your companions, I mean." Quietly, she added, "I don't know if I could restrain my anger in such a situation."

Kratos stopped. "Raine," he said, making her halt as well. "I have faith that you can do anything if you so will it."

She shifted, nervous at being complimented. "...thank you, Kratos," she finally said, before resuming the walk down the hall. After several more minutes, they reached a doorway, labeled 'Research Facility.' Motion-sensitive, it opened as the two approached.

Raine gasped as they stepped inside. "Marvelous! Such a collection of literature!"

The room's walls were lined with bookshelves, all packed full of countless books. Many bore titles such as Harnessing the Power of Mana and The Power of Life. A table in the center of the room contained stacks of novels marked on certain pages; some lay open to diagrams and pictures.

Kratos added darkly, "All being used for malicious purposes."

His words doubted Raine's mood. "Undoubtedly.." She began to shuffle through books, looking for anything that might pertain to their cause. Grimacing at one – The Evolution of Exspheres – she pulled it out from the rest and began flipping through the pages.

"When used without a key crest, exspheres drain the host body of his or her physical strength when activated by torture or other means. When removed and placed on a new subject, one with a working key crest, the exsphere works inversely, supplying the user with unbelievable strength – strength taken from the host body."

Raine shuddered, remembering the victims they had encountered along their journey. She sat down and continued to look through the passage.

"However, physical strength is not the most powerful asset a body has to offer. As rumored by idealists, a body's true strength lies in the soul. Unfortunately, no methods have been created insofar to harness the force of one's soul."

"The power of one's soul.." Raine muttered, looking around the room. Kratos continued to scan the bookshelves for other sources of information. She was staring at the door when something caught her attention: out of the corner of her eye, the professor noticed a notebook labeled Developments. Reaching over, she paged through the notebook. Although the script was mostly indecipherable, she saw on the last page something worth her time.

"I have done it! Finally, I have advanced my father's work. I have created the new Exsphere: one capable of harnessing "inner strength," or what some call "the power of the soul." Now it can be mine! Unfortunately, I need great amounts of solidified mana to complete my project. I only have enough to begin testing on a few subjects, but I have a plan to get more. Soon I will be able to capture the essence of the soul and transfer it to another being! Imagine the possibilities.."

"Hmph." The seraph's snort broke the quiet atmosphere.

"I can only imagine what he's trying to plan," Raine said, worry in her voice. "Some people never give up, do they?"

"Ah, but that would take the fun out of everything, now, wouldn't it?" came a familiar voice.

Author's Note: I can't believe I waited so long to update! I deserve to be hit by many rays of Judgment. (Eek!) Wow, I really need to learn how to manage my schedule. But now that's school's in session, I obviously need more ways to procrastinate, ne? (Teehee.) I always promise more updates, but now I give you permission to personally hassle me at the e-mail address listed in my profile.

In other news, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I had a general idea of how it was going to start, but I just thought up the rest of it today. And now I finally have an idea of how it's going to end! (Actually, just a way to connect the eventual ending to everything else – I had a crazy dramatic idea in mind, but no real reason to include it.) Fufufufu...

Oh, and I don't think anyone would want to have a child with Kvar. Nasty! But this chapter's Round of Thanks for motivating my lazy bum go to Scattle. (Claps all around!) Also, Lloyd's remark, "Charge!" is Grune (from Tales of Legendia)'s tagline. But most importantly, 'Tales of the Abyss' for the PS2 comes out on October 10th, so don't forget to buy it! No, it's not a sequel to Symphonia, but it's made by the same team who did ToS. I'm anxiously awaiting its release!

Anyway, as always, thank you so much to my loyal reviewers. I'm writing this story for you guys!

And thanks again for reading. Don't forget to review!