Yes! Before anything else I must say something first: Thank you to the anonymous reviewer Symphy!! As you pointed out, the name of the wolf that appeared in my story is Fenrir, which is also the same name of the wolf that aids Celsius when you fight her. THEY ARE NOT THE SAME WOLF. It was unfortunate that Celsius' wolf has that name, but I REALLY needed to use it in here. It is very, VERY critically important that the "mysterious man's" wolf's name is Fenrir. For one thing it was the BIGGEST clue I gave to the man's identity, and second, it will help move the story along later on.
Oh, yeah, and about the whole Shelloyd thing- I had maybe intended that, but I thought it over and decided it wasn't really my thing (though if I did do it that way, it wouldn't be intense or anything, just little stuff, like Furuba or somethin'). If it looks anything like romance between characters, don't really think much about it..,it's probably me just messing around. So, no, it's not Shelloyd…unless that's what people really want….? Whatever makes the reader happy…
Disclaimer: On the subject of Tales of Symphonia- love it I do, own it I do not.
CHAPTER 7
LESSONS TO LEARN
"Good. Now, level out, keep them straight." Kratos stood at the top of a grassy hill near a mountain stream.
The three travelers had decided to take a break for dinner and touched down in a small meadow. They were only an hour away from Palma Costa, but nobody felt like flying there, then having to face Raine's inevitable lecture on her findings, when it was already nightfall. After they had eaten, Kratos found it was a good time to start with Lloyd's flying lessons.
Lloyd had pulled them out and exhibited what he could do. Now Kratos was watching him fly, giving him advice know and then. He actually has natural talent for this. The only problem is his lack of control over his wings. He must love to fly to be able to read the wind so well…hmm, like father like son, I suppose.
Sheena was sitting a few feet off, also watching Lloyd fly. She then looked up at the stars and stretched. She got up and waved to Lloyd. Lloyd saw her and flew down to the ground.
"I'm going to set up camp, then go to sleep," she said, "I'll have your sleeping bag out. When you guys are done, just come over."
"Okay! G'night, Sheena!" Lloyd said cheerfully.
"See you in the morning," she gave a small wave.
Lloyd waved back and then turned to his father, who had snuck up behind him.
"Ah!" Lloyd was slightly startled, "Don't do that! You surprised me."
A mischievous grin played across Kratos' face, "She'd make someone a good wife, don't you think?"
"What, Sheena? Uh, yeah, I guess so…" Lloyd wasn't sure what Kratos was getting at.
"At the right age to be married as a matter of fact," Kratos said off handedly.
"Daaaad…" Lloyd slowly realized where this was going.
"I'm getting old, Lloyd. Some grandchildren would be nice," Kratos sighed and massaged his shoulder for emphasis.
"Sheena's just a-!"
Kratos laughed and ruffled Lloyd's hair, "I'm just teasing you…. But beware when you speak to her. 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'. I learned that the hard way."
"What, couldn't the great warrior Kratos stand up to his wife?" Lloyd grinned mischievously, and got a headlock, followed by a noogie in return.
"H-hey!" Lloyd laughed as he tried to get out of his father's grasp.
"Ah, Lloyd, someday you'll understand," muttered as he let go, "Besides, your mother was very strong willed…and special."
"Y'know, when the planet is in some kind of peril, we have to sit down and talk."
"Yes. That would be nice," Kratos looked at the dark sky and said, "Anyway, that's enough for today. You should get some rest. We have plenty of time to practice."
He began to stroll to the campsite when Lloyd muttered so softly, even Kratos' angelic hearing barely caught it, "Speaking of time…how much do I have? Will I live for thousands of years…?"
Kratos paused, and without looking at his son he said, "No doubt you will live longer than the average human, while still maintaining a youthful look. However, not for a thousand years; not even hundreds." He looked back to Lloyd and smiled, "Don't worry, you won't have to be alone…you probably won't live very much long past one hundred."
Lloyd said nothing. He pulled in his wings and walked slowly to his father.
Finally he whispered, "What about you? Will you have to be alone?"
Kratos froze. His mind seemed to go numb.
"Honestly," he heard his own voice speak, but it sounded distant, "I don't know. I had thought I was to finally die when Origin was released. I hadn't planned for anything after that…"
The pressure of a hand on his shoulder brought him out of his daze. Lloyd was smiling, and patted his father's shoulder.
"Well, it's settled then," he said, "After this whole thing with Odin's Tear and the gathering of the exespheres, we're going to find a way to lift this 'curse' off of you. Then you can feel, and eat and sleep, and grow old to your hearts content!"
Kratos said sadly, "Lloyd, I don't know if-"
"Ah, screw it with the 'there's probably no way' b.s.! There's always a way, if you look for it. You should know that by now! And from the sounds of it, we're gonna have plenty of time to search." Then he added threateningly, "And don't even think about going back to Derris-Kharlan, 'cause I'm not going to let you."
"Lloyd, I…"
Lloyd faced away stubbornly, "Don't wanna hear it! Look, if you're doing this to 'atone for your sins' or your past mistakes, or whatever, then why are you spending the rest of your life in space?! Is it up there where you made your mistakes, or here, on this planet? Don't you think here is where you need to be!?"
Kratos could only stare at his son's fierceness. Not for the first time in these past few days, he was speechless.
Lloyd's shoulders sagged and he exhaled a deep sigh, "…I…I know I'm being a little…a little selfish, too. I really don't want you to go. But…" Lloyd clenched his fists, "It's…it's so hard to watch someone you care about suffer…"
A strained silence followed, and Lloyd continued to look off to the distance, while Kratos helplessly watched him.
"Come on, let's…let's get some sleep," Lloyd's voice was dull, "I guess now isn't the time to be thinking about these things…"
Lloyd quickly made his way to the Rheairds, without meeting his father's gaze.
Kratos stared blankly after his son until he had made it to his sleeping bag and wrapped himself inside. He then trudged out to the middle of the field and sat down there, looking upwards.
He closed his eyes and muttered a quick incantation. A magic circle shone under him, and mana was concentrating above him.
"Origin."
And there in front of him stood the King of the Summon Spirits.
"Greetings, Kratos."
"It's been awhile," Kratos smiled dully.
"The passage of time means nothing to either of us."
"Heh, I guess you're right."
"Did you require something of me?"
"Origin, I'm going to stay here with Lloyd."
"," the King of Summon Spirits' usually impassive face fell slightly in surprise, "But, Derris-Kharlan is well outside the magnetic field of this planet. You-"
"I know. I've made my decision. I may not have much time left, but I'll spend the rest of it with my son."
"...Did you want to know how long?" Origin asked hesitantly.
Kratos shook his head, "No, I wanted to ask you a favor. Please…even if the sword were to disappear or if the pact be broken, please continue to look after Lloyd." He showed the barest hint of a smile, "I hear you've been getting him out of trouble these past few years."
Unexpectedly, Origin grinned, "Even if two of the pact makers to whom I am connected didn't wish for me to protect the boy, I would still do so."
Kratos grinned and guessed that the 'two pact makers' were Sheena and himself.
"I suppose I have grown fond of his bright aura and his ideals." Origin thought about it, then corrected himself, "Or rather, not only his ideals exactly, but the way he fights so hard for them. He has indeed brought light to me, after being sealed in a sleep of darkness for so long."
Kratos flinched and looked apologetically at Origin.
"Besides, he still has an important role to play in this world's future."
Kratos wanted to know what this role was, but he knew better than to ask for the future.
"Oh, and please, don't tell anyone about… that. Especially Lloyd. He has his own life to lead without looking out for mine."
Origin looked a little displeased with that, but reluctantly nodded in agreement.
There was a tranquil silence as the two ancient entities gazed out to the reborn world, remembering fondly that this was how everything was meant to be.
Then Kratos said quietly, "You have my gratitude, Origin. For telling Lloyd about my return, and for allowing me to explain things to him."
Origin only looked curiously at him.
Kratos looked down shame-faced, "I'm being so…weak and selfish. I'm so happy you did that because…you've allowed me to remain in Lloyd's mind. By telling him I'd return, he waited for me, thinking of me a little every day…instead of me fading from his memory forever."
"Uugh! Aren't you supposed to be the smart one?!"
Kratos jumped to his feet and faced an angry looking Sheena. He must have been so out of it he didn't notice her walk up behind him. Of course, the fact she had ninja stealth probably added to it.
"What are you-" he started, but Sheena wasn't finished just yet.
"Do you honestly believe that?! I can't understand how you could think so little of your own son!" Sheena paused to breathe and let her anger subside, "Lloyd didn't need Origin to tell him you'd be back. He always knew you would…he always hoped you would. He had faith in you."
Origin suppressed a smile, but didn't hide his light look of admiration for the girl. Kratos glanced at him, then turned back to Sheena whose gaze bore right into his.
"Besides…Lloyd would never forget you. He really cares for you; for everyone. Why do you think he wanted so desperately to keep the Eternal Ring?"
Kratos felt a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions, finding he had lost his ability to speak. He only gave her a questioningly look.
"It was a gift from you. One of the only things he had left of you," she said softly. She stood silent for a few moments, then added, "You're his father. Think about that."
She turned without another word and stomped back to the camp. Kratos stared after her for along time.
Finally Origin said, "How long has it been since someone has given you a scolding like that?"
"Much too long."
A smirk began to form on Kratos' lips. Origin gave a slight nod, and began to fade away.
"I needed that. I guess I'll see you around later, eh?"
Origin smiled and then disappeared.
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Lloyd opened his eyes to bright sunlight, and instantly pulled his blanket over him. No one was coming to wake him up, so why bother getting up? He was still sleepy. Then he remembered the other night.
He sighed under his covers, I should apologize to dad. That whole thing was uncalled for. He's a grown man; he can make his own decisions…
He was mulling it all over when the covers were ripped right off of him, exposing him to the chill morning air and intense light.
"Aah!" he sat bolt right up.
"Time to wake up. You'll get lazy and out of shape if you sleep too much!"
Lloyd looked up at the figure that was silhouetted against the sun.
"Dad…?"
Kratos was smirking slightly and already packing away Lloyd's sleeping bag. Sheena was already up and preparing breakfast.
"Wha…?" Lloyd certainly wasn't expecting a bright and chipper Kratos to greet him in the morning.
Lloyd stood up and walked over to Sheena as Kratos busied himself with packing the rest of their belongings.
"Uuh…do you know what's up with dad?"
"Beats me," Sheena shrugged, "When I woke up he told me to leave you asleep for a little longer. Then he disappeared for awhile. When he got back he was like that."
Lloyd was slightly weirded out by his dad's attitude, but at the same time it felt kind of…normal. Was he like this when I was a kid?
Kratos suddenly addressed his son, "Lloyd, come with me."
Lloyd raised an eyebrow and glanced to Sheena. She merely shrugged and smiled. Kratos had started off to a gathering of trees and Lloyd ran up next to him.
When they got there he picked up a pile of objects that he must have gathered earlier. They were a sturdy, slender stick, about five feet long, a thin, but strong looking twined rope, and what looked like a small sharp rock in the shape of a crescent moon.
"Now,' Kratos said, holding them up, "You can find these materials in the trees and out in the meadow. I suggest you obtain more than one of each. When you do, come meet me at the stream."
Lloyd attempted to ask a question, but his father zipped off to the stream before he could open his mouth. He sighed and turned to the trees.
"Well, I guess the sticks should be easy enough to find."
And indeed they were; he had selected several branches, each of different build and timber, and sliced them off within minutes. He took a quick look around the grove, and when he couldn't locate the other materials he went out to the plains.
He wandered around for a while, and then noticed a shrub with long, dry-looking leaves. There were actually many of them scattered around the meadow, but he hadn't paid any attention to them at first. Now he realized that underneath the leaves were thin, grass-like strings, stemming from the base of the plant.
Lloyd attempted to break off a string, but found that a single strand was made of very tough fibers, and therefore rather hard to break. He brought out a sword and cut off a bundle of the strings.
"Now for that rock-thing," Lloyd muttered to himself, and began searching again.
Lloyd came across a small quarry of obsidian looking stones, further into the meadow. When he looked closely, he saw that it was the same material Kratos had shown him. He tilted his head in thought, then brought out the small knife he used for crafting purposes.
Picking up a small chunk, Lloyd chipped away at it, and carved the stone until resembled the shape of the one his father had obtained.
Lloyd was about to start on another one, but stopped and looked to his right as he heard a faint tapping sound from under the ground. A small, furry head popped out of a hole and sniffed the air about it. It was a sort of mole creature, with the elongated body of an ermine. Sharp, strong claws extended from its fore paws.
Fascinated, Lloyd squatted a few feet away, and observed the animal as it sniffed around. It reached one of the larger stones and shaved off pieces of the rock, as if testing it. Looking satisfied, it began to deftly pound at the rock. This time the pieces of the stone that came away were crescent shaped.
After a while, the animal brushed of its claws in the grass, gathered some of the crescent rocks, and scurried back into its hole.
Lloyd waited for a moment before moving closer to the site. He examined the pieces that were left over, then put them with the one he had made himself. He touched the rock where the animal had been working, and started in mild surprise.
I can't tell from looking, but by touching the rock, I can feel that it's a little different from most of the others, Lloyd mused. Standing up, he said aloud, "Well, that's everything. I'd better head off to the stream."
What greeted him when he got there was Kratos wading in the clear water, searching intently through it as he made his way downstream.
"Dad!" Lloyd called out, lowering the materials onto a grassy bank.
Kratos looked up and quickly cut through the water without any effort, as if gliding, even though going against the current. He stepped out and when he saw Lloyd's pile, he seemed quite pleased.
"Good," he said and sat down by the materials, beckoning for Lloyd to do the same.
Kratos picked up all the sticks Lloyd had collected in one hand, and in the other he held the stick he had shown Lloyd before. Though now it had the thin rope attached to one end, and at the end of the rope was the rock.
A fishing pole? Lloyd realized, but immediately returned attention to his father as he began to speak.
"As you can see, the materials are for a fishing rod," he said, "You have collected a variety of sticks here. Which one will you use?"
Lloyd examined each carefully: there were thick ones, thin, flexible ones, dense and light ones. He picked up what he believed to be the strongest stick.
"This one's strong and firm."
"Alright," Kratos said patiently, "Now imagine you have hooked a big fish."
Lloyd held one end of the stick as if fishing, and Kratos grabbed the other end.
"Pull!" Kratos commanded.
Lloyd pulled upward and back while Kratos pulled down to simulate a fish on the hook. For a few seconds the two pulled opposite with great force. Finally, the strain snapped the stick in half. Lloyd fell backwards on his behind.
Kratos held his part of the stick in his hand, and said, "It may have been strong and firm, but see how easily it snapped?"
To prove his point, he squeezed down on his fragment, and it once again splintered apart.
He then picked up another stick Lloyd had cut off. It was thinner than the last one, though not ridiculously so, and yielded easily when he bent it.
"This stick seems thinner and weaker. In reality, it is the better choice," he gripped it like the last stick, but it did not break, "Try pulling on it."
The two pulled oppositely again, but the stick took the strain much better than its predecessor, and did not snap.
"It is good to be strong, but in battle, and in life, it is good to be flexible too. That means to adapt to your situations, and sometimes you have to bend with a force, rather than oppose it," Kratos explained, then set the stick beside his finished pole.
Lloyd nodded slowly and muttered, "Right. To move with it, not against it."
Kratos nodded in affirmative and proceeded to pick up the bundle of fibrous strings from the plains plant.
"Next, we move to the fishing line. This one is fairly easy to understand. You noticed that the individual strands were hard to break, correct?"
"Yeah, I had to cut them off to get them," Lloyd agreed.
"Do you think one strand will be enough?"
Lloyd shook his head and said matter-of-factly, "No. That wouldn't be strong enough. I'd need to twine strands together." Lloyd's face lit up, "So, is that the lesson in this? That one can't stand alone in battle. You have to work with and rely on your friends."
Kratos only smiled and handed over the bundle to Lloyd, who immediately began to twine the strings together.
"Yes, that is good," Kratos took Lloyd's rope in his hand, and then picked up his own, "You understand that you must work together with your allies and not rely only on your own strength."
Kratos held Lloyd's rope taught, "Imagine each string is a person. Here you have them woven together, and the overall outcome is stronger than a strand alone. However," Kratos sliced a single string, "The rope will still hold if a single string is cut, but its strength has diminished greatly, and all the other strands have to pick up the slack."
Putting Lloyd's rope aside, he now held his taught. Like Lloyd's rope, it was made of twined strands from the meadow shrub. Unlike it, the rope was made of several twined ropes, themselves twined together. As he had done before, Kratos cut a single strand of the rope. Only the segment of twined rope that he had cut the strand loosened slightly, while the other segments held strong.
"If a strand is a person, then a twine of them is a group of allies. By taking several twined ropes (parties), and then twining those together, you obviously make the whole rope stronger."
"Strength in numbers?" Lloyd asked.
"Not necessarily," Kratos explained, "The point is not that you need many people to win, but more of unity and tolerance for others. It is always advantageous to ask others for help, even though they may not be your closest ally. If you have a group, you should not refuse assistance from other groups, or think yours is better than theirs. As you can see, if one group has difficulties, the other group can support them."
Lloyd thought back to his exhibition match back at the coliseum. He imagined what a force they could all be if the two groups could be if they fought against a common foe, and then saw the wisdom in his dad's words.
"Even if we really don't know that much about another group, if the need arises, we should put away our pride and doubts and fight alongside them," Lloyd voiced his thoughts.
"Very good," Kratos said, satisfied with Lloyd's statement.
Lloyd set to work making a new fishing rope; Kratos gathered up the rocks Lloyd had collected and sifted through them until he found the one Lloyd had hand crafted. How he did, Lloyd did not know.
"Can you tell the difference between the one you made, and the ones made by the Molee?" Kratos held Lloyd's in his right hand and the others in his left hand.
"Well, they all kinda look different from each other, so- hey, wait a minute, how did you know about the…what was it? Molee? Is that what that animal was?" Lloyd demanded in his almost child-like manner.
"That aside," Kratos brushed away his son's question, "There is a difference." Kratos handed Lloyd's hook to him, "Carefully adhere pressure along the hook shape. Try to feel if there is a point where it feels like it is about to break."
Lloyd did as he was told, inching along the crescent's side. He reached the center point and stopped when he felt a slight strain in the structure.
"Will it break if I use it, then?" Lloyd looked closely at his craftsmanship.
"Not right away, no," Kratos said, "You could only feel that strain because of your 'angel senses'. It will last, but not for long." Then Kratos added, "Despite its expert craftsmanship."
Lloyd hid his embarrassment and happiness at his father's praise. Then, guessing what Kratos would probably ask him to do next, he picked up one of the 'hooks' made by the Molee, and began to apply pressure.
Lloyd felt along it twice, but did not find the same fault. He examined a few others, and found the same results.
"Okay, I know that you're gonna say that the Molee's hook was stronger. So I'm thinking the moral is that man made things aren't as good as…things made in nature?" Lloyd creased his brows in concentration.
Instead of answering the question directly, Kratos said, "Do you know why the Molee needed these rocks, Lloyd?"
"Uh…" Lloyd thought for what reasons that creature would have need of them, "Um, could it be for their nests?"
"In a way. They dig underground burrows, and the actual nest itself is made from the leaves of the meadow shrubs. The stones, which are called Lunaegis Rock, are used for protection. The Molees set up a sort of mote of these around their nest, and the pointed rocks keep away most enemies."
Kratos paused for a moment, as if thinking back to something; Lloyd watched and listened intently.
"There are two parts to this lesson. The Molees and those stones have co-existed for a long time. The Molees are only one example of how we can properly use nature to help us. Instead of carving out the stone to your own will, against its grain, you can find a place in the rock where it has naturally formed that shape. Learn to use the forces around you, and for the best results, do it in a way that is not opposing it."
"And the second lesson?" Lloyd pressed.
"Simple: nature is very powerful, and has been around for much longer than you or I. Do not take it lightly."
There was a period of silence, during which Lloyd soaked in the lessons he had learned, though he certainly did not expect to discover all of this while trying to go fishing.
"Well, now that that's taken care of," Kratos stood up and brushed off the grass on his pants. He picked up his pole and waded back into the water, "I think it's time for some fishing."
"Alright!" Lloyd enthusiastically hopped in beside Kratos.
"Careful, you'll scare the fish away."
"Nah, I got this," Lloyd took a step forward and promptly slipped on some algae, landing again on his but.
"Right," Kratos shrugged.
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"Where have you two been?" Sheena demanded as she saw the pair coming toward the camp. She stopped and when she saw them clearly, she had to suppress a bout of laughter.
The two were soaking wet and looking a total mess. They both had a fishing rod clutched in a hand. There were no fish, but plenty of algae and water grass strewn over them.
"Uh, fishing, were you?" Sheena still struggled to keep a straight face.
"We attempted to," Kratos said, slightly disgruntled, "Unfortunately, we never quite got to that part."
"Well, if you hadn't pushed me into the water," Lloyd shot back.
"Ah, yes, but that was after you pulled me down when I tried to help you up after you fell."
"Yeah, well, you didn't seem to have a problem casting Aqua Edge into the water, jettisoning a blast of cold river water into my face."
"Nor did you have any qualms about using Beast to tackle me over the edge of that waterfall."
"Hey, that waterfall wasn't there when we started. How was I supposed to know we veered a bit downstream? Besides, I knew you could take it."
A bit Sheena thought, The waterfall is almost a mile downstream. Must have been quite the little battle.
"Scared away the fish then?" Sheena said somewhat sarcastically.
"Hah! Just the opposite," Lloyd said, pulling some weeds out of his hair, "They got pretty annoyed actually. When we took our fun down to the bottom of the falls, this REALLY big fish came out and started coming at us, trying to get us to go away. Makes you think twice about going into the water." Lloyd gave a small shudder.
"A rare experience indeed," Kratos had already straightened up, and was now drying up, "Needless to say, that ended our little game."
"Don't take nature lightly," Lloyd quoted Kratos, which pleased Kratos greatly.
"Riiiiight," Sheena sat back on her Rheaird, "Anyway, when you guys dry off, we should head over to Palma Costa. It's almost noon."
"It's okay, we can just air dry as we fly," Lloyd mounted his Rheaird and was off into the sky, followed shortly by Kratos and Sheena.
Making their way to the seaside city took a little over an hour, and when they walked in through the main entrance, they were perfectly dry.
They packed away the Rheairds and strolled through the town, towards the main square.
"Hey dad, that whole thing with the lessons and stuff-" Lloyd addressed Kratos as they walked.
"They were taught to me in the same way by my father, and his father taught him, and so on for as long as anyone could remember. They are all lessons that have helped me in my lifetime, as I hope they will do for you," Kratos ruffled Lloyd's hair, "I had a feeling that those meadows held all the same materials, and after I looked around, I found I was right."
"Don't worry. This is one lesson I promise to really take to heart," Lloyd grinned and reached under his shirt, pulling out one of the Lunaegis rocks, tied around his neck by the meadow shrub's strings. This new pendant now rested beside his locket.
"Be sure you do," Kratos smiled.
"Hey, you two. We're here," Sheena called out, a little ways ahead.
They now stood in front of a newly constructed building, right beside the old church. This was the United Scholars Society's Palma Costa branch. The trio walked in and found a reception desk to which they asked to see the Sage Siblings.
"I will tell them of your arrival," the receptionist, a young lady, disappeared through a door.
"So now we learn more about this mysterious Odin's Tear," Lloyd said half to himself, "And maybe about that weird guy too."
"I sure hope that the worst has occured," Sheena said, obviously worried for her village.
"Hey, after what we've been through, this shouldn't be a probem," Lloyd wasn't short on his famous self-confidence today.
"Um," the receptionist had appeared again, looking flustered.
Everyone turned to face her.
"Yes, what is it?" Sheena asked patiently.
"Th-there's a bit of a problem," she stuttered nervously.
Pretty long chapter for me I [review guess. Sorry its been so long, but I haven't even been NEAR a computer recently. And I still have to read some summer school books (cursed Honors Global History!)[review
The whole fishing thing just came from me thinking, 'hmmm, I like to go fishing with my dad. Heeeey, I can integrate life lessons in this. Cool.' Like I've said before, I'm trying to make this [review like a sequel to the game, so some things I try to imagine in videogame form. Like when Lloyd's looking for the items, the player could [review looking for these things. And the Lunaegis pendant could be like a special item, or equipment thing.
Well, I'm done for now. Maybe I'll update [review soon. Hmm, I wonder if subliminal messages work. Well I guess the number of reviews I get will tell me….which will hopefully be a lot, because I could always use [review other's opinions and what not.
Shiro, out [review