Hiya peoples! I finally got the fifth chapter up!
Kupi: Lady would like to thank everyone that is reading this, Waka!
Angelheart: Disclaimer Kupi, if you please?
Kupi: Lady does not own Tales of Symphonia or the song "Breaking Free" by the High School Musical cast, Yomi!
Seles, Mithos, and Virginia were training. Mithos proved to be a good swordsman as well as a good mage.
"See, it's like this. You focus your mana to where you want it to go. That way the attack has more power and accuracy." Said Mithos.
"Oh, that makes sense. Okay, let's try it again." Said Seles.
"This time, focus on the speed of your attacks. And remember, What goes in as effort, comes out as strength. From the top!" said Virginia.
"Icicle!" a large ball of ice formed on the target rock.
"Wind blade!" five blades of wind formed, smashing the target rock to bits.
"Ice tornado!" ice formed a whirlwind, but the ice soon fell apart, and the wind stopped working.
"Air thrust!" She tried casting the stronger form of wind blade, but she formed just that, a wind blade.
"Air blade!" wind thrust forward, but went only two feet.
"Freeze lancer!" She formed points of ice, but they were dull, and fell to the ground.
"Not bad, but you still don't have the hang of level 2 attacks. Work to grow stronger." Said Virginia.
"Can we rest for a second? That was tiring…" said Seles.
"Good plan. My mana is low as well." Said Mithos.
"Okay. Let's have lunch." Said Virginia.
"Hey Mithos, how are so good at magic?" asked Seles.
"I was taught since I was old enough to walk. It's like a second nature to me." He replied.
"That is rare. Who taught you?" Said Virginia.
"My sister, and a couple other half-elves. My sister was a healer." Said Mithos.
"I see."
"Seles, Mithos, Virginia!" Claudia was yelling at the top of her lungs.
"What's going on?" asked Seles.
"What are we gonna do? This is horrible! We have to do something!" said Tessa, looking quite panicked.
"Okay, now I'm nervous. Tessa is NEVER this high-strung." Said Seles.
"Virginia, you should get out of here!" said Claudia.
"Why?" said Mithos.
"A lot of solders are coming! Papal knights are among them!" said Claudia.
"What!?" said Seles is surprise.
"And that's not all. They said something about looking for the murderer who blew up the ship with a Volt bomb!"
Virginia, Seles and Mithos glanced at each other. This was bad.
"And I heard something about needing his special blood." Said Tessa.
"Oh my…Was a Dr. Livingstone with them?" asked Mithos.
"No, but the solders said they were hired by him." Said Claudia.
"That's It! The pope wanted to eliminate the worlds half-elves, but he's in jail, so Livingstone is doing it for him." Said Seles.
"He needs Mithos to do that." Said Virginia.
"That's why they want me so badly!" said Mithos.
"And coming from Sybak, they have the best magi-tech, which they're using to tell where you are!" said Seles.
"Using that logic, They will probably kill Seles." Said Virginia.
"Either because I'm half-elf, or because they think I'm hiding Mithos." Said Seles.
"It doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is: Seles will be killed without question, fight, or wait; Mithos will be killed when they finish testing, and most likely in the coliseum, since they're convinced he's a criminal; Virginia will be killed to keep her from mating and giving birth to more half-elves; and all other half-elves will die from the sickness that will sweep across Symphonia." Said Claudia.
"We can't let them find you." Said Tessa.
"But we're one a island!" said Seles. "And the sea is so flat, they'd spot us in a second."
"Seles, how good are you with flying?" said Virginia.
"Not well. I can't get above the roof."
"I may as well take a look at the stuff Rae and her parents gave me." Said Mithos.
He takes the bag off and dumps the contents. Among the stuff was a rag doll and the knife.
Suddenly, Mithos's jaw dropped.
"What?" Asked Seles.
"That stone is a… it couldn't be…" whispered Mithos.
"What couldn't be?"
"That stone is an exsphere!" said Mithos.
"What's an exsphere?" said Seles.
"An exsphere is a special gem. When equipped, it boosts stamina, heightens energy, and raises attack power." Said Mithos.
"Sounds useful. Wait, you mean…" said Seles.
"There are two catches, though. One, if you equip an exsphere with no key crest, the mana in your body will eventually lose stability and go out of control, and if take off a exsphere without a key crest, the process happens automatically, but whenever your mana loses control, it will always turn you into a monster." Said Mithos.
"Holy mother of mana…" said Seles.
"Two, exspheres are made at the cost of another's life. As are Cruxis Crystals, which are an advanced form of exspheres."
Mithos was expecting a lot of reactions, but Virginia was the only one who showed them. Tessa and Claudia burst out laughing, while Seles glared at them both.
"Does your brother know about this?" said Claudia.
"I hope so… I really do…" said Tessa.
"That stupid, boneheaded, idiot of a brother of mine…" grumbled Seles.
"What's going on?" asked Mithos.
"Just… just don't ask…" said Seles, who was red in the face.
"Okay…"
"Anyway, where do you think we could find an key crest?" said Virginia.
"A dwarf could make one." Said Mithos.
"So, when you two fly off the island, find a dwarf." Said Virginia.
"Huh? …You mean you want us to-" started Seles.
"-Fly off the island using Seles flying power and the exsphere?" finished Mithos.
"Yes."
"But, this soon? I can barely hold the wind, I can't cast any level 2 spells, and you're saying we should just up and go?"
"What else could we do? You two don't want to die." Said Virginia.
"Well, that's true, but-"
"And we can't let Mithos be captured."
"Yeah, but we can't leave you guys here! I don't want you guys to get killed!" exclaimed Seles.
"I'm getting over my years. I've married, had two children, lost all three in one night, and then got attached to two others that aren't even related to me. My life is fully lived, I've done more than most, and I'm ready to move on to the next life. But you two are still both fourteen. You have lives to live, people to meet, sights to see, things to do. You deserve to lead fuller lives. It's time for Seles to leave this island, and Mithos to live freely. The world is ready to accept you. It is time for you both to go." Said Virginia.
"Okay, lemme get that exsphere… Hey! That's a key crest!" said Mithos suddenly.
"What?"
"You remember Rae's mom gave me a piece of metal?" asked Mithos.
"Yeah."
"Well, as luck would have it, that metal is a key crest. And not a shabby one, either…" said Mithos.
"Amazing." Said Seles. That pretty much summed it up.
"How is it that both the key crest and the exsphere were in the hands of the same couple?" asked Virginia.
"Rae's father said he and his wife found this in Flanoir. A Renegade base is in that area. I don't know if it still runs or not…" said Mithos.
"Either way, let us equip the exsphere." Said Virginia.
After a half hour of working…
"Good. It's on, nice a secure." Said Mithos.
"Let's test it." Said Seles.
She hopped on her broom, and the casting circle appeared under her.
"Air Thrust!" Wind gathered up, and unleashed a full twelve, sword-sharp blades of air.
"Air blade!" The power of the wind thrust forward as if shot out a cannon, with incredible speed.
"Freeze Lancer!" deadly points formed and flew across, hitting everything in their path.
"Ice Tornado!" Large chucks of ice were created, then sent spinning round and round, colliding with everything.
Seles decided to go further. "Absolute!" a one foot got colder by about 10 degrees.
"Cyclone!" a mini tornado formed, about two meters tall and one meter in diameter.
"No doubt. That exsphere definitely raised your mana levels. You cast those spells with ease." Said Virginia.
"I'll say. We can so live the island!" said Mithos.
"Maybe, but am I going to stay in air long enough long to get across?" asked Seles.
"We should probably wait until nightfall to do this." Said Virginia.
"Good plan. That'll give us a chance to rest up, gather supplies, and refill our mana." Said Mithos.
"Yeah. The solders won't be here until tomorrow morning." Said Tessa.-
"Okay."
Midnight comes…
"I don't know if I can do this…" muttered Seles.
"You'll do great. I know it." Said Mithos.
"What if I mess up? What if we crash? What if we don't make it to the mainland in time? What it-"
"Don't worry so much about it. Everything is going to be okay." Said Mithos.
"Yeah, and if you drown, those creeps can't get Mithos." Said Claudia.
"Gee, thanks a lot…" said Seles, under her breath.
"Seles, Mithos, before you go, we have some things we'd like to give you." Said Virginia.
"Here. This is all the gald we've been saving over the past few years. We pooled it with Virginia's life saving." Said Tessa.
"That much gald… I can't take that!" said Seles.
"Virginia will be killed, and Tessa and I will probably die as well. We want our money safe." Said Claudia.
"I don't know any better use for our money than to give it to someone in need." Said Tessa.
"And if we leave it here, those solders will most likely take it too." Said Virginia.
"Alright." Said Seles.
"I got the broom." Said Mithos. The broom now had a light green ribbon on the end.
"Okay. We're ready to go." Said Seles.
The twosome mounted, Seles in front, riding sidesaddle, and Mithos behind her, riding astride. Seles put hat on the end.
Seles gathered mana from the air. Mithos helped, pulling mana from anywhere he could find. They began to lift off the ground.
"Ten!"
Mithos looked behind him to see Tessa and Claudia drawing a number ten in the soil.
"Nine!"
Seles started going higher.
"Eight!"
Mithos felt his chest heave. Something was pushing out.
"Seven!"
The jewels on Seles's gloves started glowing.
"Six!"
They rose higher.
"Five!"
Now Mithos was certain. Something in his chest was pushing out through his skin.
"Four!"
The wind rushed around them. The jewels were sparkling, shining, and glowing.
"Three!"
The wind blew north, and was gaining speed and power.
"Two!"
What ever it was in Mithos's chest, it was fighting than heck to get out.
"One!"
Seles gave one final look to the miserable abbey she called home over the years. She looked at her only two friends, the priests, Tessa and Claudia. She looked at her teacher, Virginia. And finally, she turned to her new friend, companion, and fellow half-elf, Mithos.
This is it! The chance I've been waiting for all these years, it's finally come. I'm ready for it.
"Ignition…"
It's time!
"BLAST OFF!!!"
The broom shot thirty-five into the air, carrying Seles and Mithos with it. A strong wind from the north pointed the twosome in the right direction. Off they went.
"Wow! I don't believe it! We did it!" said Seles.
"See? If you have a good enough reason, you can break free." Said Mithos.
"Like the song?"
"Huh?"
"Sorry, I just remembered a song I heard a long time ago."
"You mean that song by Troy and Gabriella, in the movie?"
"Their real names were Zac Efron and Vanessa Anne Hudgens, and the movie was High School Musical, but yeah."
After a few seconds, he said, "You wanna sing it right now?"
"Huh? Um, s… sure, I guess. If you want to…" this had caught her by surprise.
"Okay, I'll start."
We're soarin', flyin' There's not a star in heaven
That we can't reach
Seles felt silly doing this, but her heart was insisting that she join in.
If we're trying
So we're breaking free
Mithos:
You know the world can see us
In a way that's different than who we are
Seles:
Creating space between us
'Till we're separate hearts
Both:
But your faith gives me the strength
Strength to believe
They had reached the chorus, and neither one wanted to stop.
Mithos:
We're breaking free!
Seles:
We're soarin'
Mithos: Flyin'
Both:
There's not a star in heaven
That we can't reach
Mithos:
If we're trying
Both:
Yeah, we're breaking free
Mithos:
Oh, we're breaking free
Seles:
Ohhhh
Mithos:
Can you feel it building?
Like a wave the ocean just can't control
Seles:
Connected by a feeling
Ohhh, in our very souls
Both:
Rising 'til it lifts us up
So everyone can see
Mithos:
We're breaking free
Seles:
We're soarin'
Mithos:
Flyin'
Both:
There's not a star in heaven
That we can't reach
Mithos:
If we're trying
Yeah, we're breaking free
Seles:
Ohhhh runnin'
Mithos:
Climbin' To get to place
Both:
To be all that we can be
Mithos:
Now's the time
Both:
So we're breaking free
Mithos:
We're breaking free
Seles:
Ohhh, yeah
Mithos:
More than Hope
More that faith
Seles:
This is true
This is fate
And together
Both:
We see it coming
Mithos:
More than you
More than me
Seles:
Not a want
But a need
Both:
Both of us, breaking free!
Seles:
Soarin'
Mithos:
Flyin'
Both:
There's not a star in heaven
That we can't reach
If we're trying
Mithos:
Yeah, we're breaking free
Seles:
Breaking free
We're runnin'
Mithos:
Ohhhh Climbin'
Both:
To get to the place
To be all that we can be
Now's the time
Mithos:
Now's the time
Seles:
So we're breaking free
Mithos:
Ohhh we're breaking free
Seles:
Ohhhh
Both:
You know the world can see us
In a way that's different than who we are
"Oh my gosh, that was fun!" said Seles.
"Yeah. And it describes our current situation really well." Agreed Mithos.
"No kidding. There's a full moon out tonight, and the stars are shinning brighter than I've ever seen them."
"I've never really stopped to star gaze before. The star are pretty nice."
Seles wasn't quite ready to stop the conversation just yet.
"So, are we completely ready for our adventure in Symphonia?" asked Seles.
He waited for a bit, than yelled, "Heck Yes!"
"Alright! We are on our way!"
And so, the adventure of two half-elves is about to begin, neither one knowing that this was going to be the most fun either has had in years.
And that is it! Please Review!
