Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia.
Martel stared at the half-elf sitting in front of her. Yuan, with his back to the young maiden, was silently rowing. Night had fallen again, and while everyone else slept, he would row. He could not sleep. His Cruxis Crystal would not allow his body to rest. He would not tire, he had said, because the Cruxis Crystal supplied him with energy when he needed it. He did not need sleep.
"Yuan…" The name silently escaped Martel's lips as her heart felt sympathy. It may be true that he would not tire, but no matter how much energy the Cruxis Crystal supplied him, it would only provide it to his body, and not to his mind and soul. He would tire internally, and without the ability to rest, he would never recover.
Having heard the soft whisper, Yuan turned around and caught sight of Martel's face downcast with sadness. Her eyes were moist. "Martel… is something wrong?" he inquired, worried.
Martel gasped, surprised that he had noticed. She turned her face away shyly. "No. Everything's okay."
"If you say so…" Slowly, Yuan turned his face around and resumed rowing.
"Um… Yuan?"
"Yes."
"You say that the Cruxis Crystal gives you energy and keeps you rejuvenated, but your mana seems thin and tired."
"You can sense that? I hoped I could keep it hidden…"
"I don't think that most people would have noticed it. Kratos tells me that my abilities with mana are very strong. I didn't find out until you told your story to us. I had to spend some time examining before I sensed past the mana curtain around you."
"You spent time examining my mana?" Yuan asked, slightly amazed and also a little delighted that she had taken such an action.
"Umm…" Martel turned her face away again, a crimson flush invading her cheeks. "Sorry… I didn't mean to…"
"Oh, it's okay. You don't have to apologize for it. I simply wasn't expecting anyone to put in the effort to look past the shroud I had set up."
"I'm not the only person…" Martel softly replied.
"You're not?" Yuan was shocked. Who else would? Surely it wasn't Mithos. The young boy didn't seem to pay Yuan much attention.
"Kratos knows too. He's been aware longer than I have." Martel asked Yuan's unanswered question. "You're his closest friend and perhaps only friend. He worries and cares about you."
Yes, Yuan thought. Kratos would worry. He didn't seem to show it much, but he was a rather caring person. His friendship was one that Yuan valued since it was something that Kratos did not usually give to many.
"Yuan?" Martel called out tentatively.
"Yes, Martel? What is it?" Yuan asked, his thoughts broken.
"I know you can't sleep like the rest of us… but you could at least get some rest."
"I don't need…" Yuan began, but then he changed his mind and decided to accept the offer. "Okay, I'll rest."
Yuan lay down the oars and stopped rowing. He turned and leaned against the side of the small boat, turning his eyes up towards the stars. He was grateful for Martel's offer. Although his body did not tire, doing something repetitive over and over had a very tiring effect on his mind. He closed his eyes and relaxed himself. It was okay to not row for a night; they would be arriving at shore soon enough.
Kratos stood at the front of the boat, his sword drawn, a magical sphere of electric charged in his hand. Yuan was sitting in the center, rowing both oars. Mithos stood quietly at the back of the boat, both hands containing glowing spheres of electricity. Martel was standing between Mithos and Yuan, her staff held in both hands, an orb of white energy coalescing on the top.
Four archers stood on shore, waiting for the approaching boat to come within their range again. The boat had come out of nowhere, sailing over the horizon, heading straight for land. They were rouges; they lived off of attacking travelers and taking their equipment. As the boat swerved closer to the beach, they all notched arrows on their bows and fired.
Kratos swept his sword up and knocked one of the arrows out of its path into the sea. Mithos released one of the energy orbs from his hands and a bolt of lightning fried a second arrow. The other two hadn't been aimed well and landed in the water. As Yuan rowed the boat in closer, Kratos released his magic spell at the same time that Mithos did. Two blades of electrically charged swords slammed into the ground from the sky above two of the attacking archers. One of them managed to jump to the side and only took the blow from the electric shockwave while the other received the full impact of the "Thunder Blade" spell and died on the spot.
Yuan put a little force behind his rowing and managed to get the boat close to shore before the archers launched another volley of arrows. Kratos, Mithos, Yuan, and Martel jumped off the ship and onto the land and began to rush towards their opponents. The archers launched their arrows just as Mithos, the foremost in the attacking group, arrived at their position. Two arrows buried themselves in his arm as the third flew past him. Kratos lifted his shield and deflected the stray arrow. Then, he pulled out his sword from behind the shield and jumped in front of his injured apprentice, slaying one of the archers with a swift "hurricane thrust". Yuan arrived as well, whirling his double-blade in two wide arcs, cutting through the remaining archers.
Kratos sheathed his sword and turned to take a look at Mithos. The boy was sitting on the ground, wincing gingerly as pain shot through his arm. Martel arrived as well, her staff glowing brightly. She bent it forward and touched Mithos' injuries with the orb at the tip of her Ruby Wand. The mana from her "First Aid" spell flowed from her weapon to her brother's arm, pulling the arrows out and cleanly closing the wounds behind them.
"Mithos," Kratos began, only to be interrupted by the boy.
"You need to be more patient," Mithos broke in, mimicking Kratos' voice with a touch of annoyance. "Watch your foe and anticipate his move before rushing in. Blind attacks will accomplish nothing more than to get you injured." He switched back to his own voice. "I know, I know. You always say the same things. I've got your lectures memorized, Master."
"And yet you still haven't been able to follow them," Kratos retorted silently. "Mithos, you have the abilities to be a great warrior, but you must remember to control your impatience and your anger. If you do not, then they will lead to your downfall."
Mithos nodded sullenly. He did not believe Kratos' warning; anger only served to strengthen him, so how could it possibly lead to his downfall? However, despite not accepting Kratos' philosophy, Mithos did respect the human. Kratos had earned the trust of the elves and was a very strong swordsman. His skill, Mithos had heard some of the elves say, surpassed even that of his father, General Cruxis "Odin" Aurion. Mithos, wanting to become not only the best magic-user but also the best swordsman, would have to train under him, and thus, he would put up with the lectures.
Silently, Mithos rose from the ground and walked off. Their supplies were running out, so they would have to find Palmacosta soon. From what Yuan had told them, the city was close by, and Mithos decided not to waste any time getting there.
"Hurry up, everyone," he called back when he saw they weren't following. "We need to get to Palmacosta, and the sooner we set out towards it, the better."
"And I believe that heading straight towards it instead of going around the world to get to it would also be better, Mithos," Yuan retorted, turning around and walking in the opposite direction from the young half-elf. Mithos reddened and turned around. Kratos gave a small smile before turning and following his friend. Martel giggled as she followed Yuan as well. Mithos, hearing his sister laugh at him, got angry at Yuan, but he bottled the anger in and took off behind the half-elf as well.
The sun lowered down, fast approaching the horizon. Yuan sat with his back against a tree, his eyes gazing blankly at the sky. Martel was sitting on the grass a little distance away from Yuan, hugging her knees to herself, her Ruby Wand lying on the floor in front of her.
Kratos stood in front of Mithos with his Crystal Sword in his hand. The half-elf had his Ether Sword sheathed and had both hands facing the human. He let loose with a "Thunder Blade" spell. Kratos dashed forward, stopping just outside the reach of the attack and struck Mithos with a quick "Aqua Edge". The half-elf attempted to retaliate with a "Prism Sword" spell, but Kratos cancelled his incantation by striking him with "Fire Ball". Mithos dashed forward and slashed horizontally with his weapon only to have Kratos leap over him, landing directly behind him. The boy spun around, sword held straight out, slicing through the air with great speed. However, Kratos was faster still, he took a short hop and landed just outside the boy's reach. As Mithos' strike failed, Kratos landed a clean hit on him with a "Spread" spell. The boy was sent spiraling into the air, soaked through by the rough water.
Mithos stood up the second he landed on the floor again, rage filling his eyes. Kratos was fighting only with magic while he was allowed to use both, a sword and magic, and yet the human was defeating him. Despite his weaker spells, Kratos seemed to be able to do far greater damage. Mithos decided to show Kratos how water spells should be used and began the incantation for a "Tidal Wave" only to have it cut short by a "Stone Blast". Enraged, he spread his hands out on both sides, dropping his Ether Sword. He closed his eyes, emptying all thoughts from his mind. A purple symbol appeared on the floor below him.
"I call upon thee in the land of the dead," Mithos began chanting. "Unleash thy fury of thunder, Indignation!"
A large dome of electrical energy appeared around Kratos, a single orb of condensed energy rising from the center. The human lazily walked out of the spells area, turning back and watching as a tremendous burst of thunder tore through the inside of the dome. He turned back to Mithos and struck the boy with a "Stone Blast".
"Sheer power is not always the answer, Mithos," Kratos chided his pupil. "A strong spell is very useful, but only when used at the proper time."
Mithos' anger grew even more and he lashed out with his sword, stabbing straight at the human. Kratos neatly sidestepped the blow, causing the boy to loose his balance and fall to the floor. While Mithos tried tiredly to get back up, Kratos began chanting a spell of his own. Just as the half-elf rose up, a sphere of green wind blades formed around him and tore through him. He felt pain pierce through his entire body as the "Air Thrust" spell ripped through him. As the spell ended, his body fell to the floor, exhausted.
"Mithos," Kratos spoke to the young boy as he turned and headed to a nearby tree to sit against, "if you are to ever defeat me, you must first learn to get past your rage. You will be much stronger if you fight with a level head."
It's been a very long time, hasn't it? Well... i'm finally able to post again, and I would've done so sooner if the internet was working better...
Anyway, be sure to review and let me know what you think of this chapter. Again, if anyone has any names to suggest for this or any other unnamed chapter, then those suggestions will be appreciated.