Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia or any of the characters.

If anybody would like to beta read for me or help develop this story, please message me.

"Do you really have the power to summon spirits?"

It was my first night traveling with Yuan and his friends. We were on our way to the next temple- that's where they said the spirits were- but it was hard to travel in the night. I could hardly see two feet in front of me.

It had seemed like such a good idea, leaving with them. Going and doing something that actually mattered, changing my fate. We'd planned as we walked out of the city and caught up, but now it was night, and I was left with the realization that I only knew one of these people. Although they had been glad to see me go, at least I'd known the royal family. I only knew Yuan. I couldn't always be with him; now, Yuan and Martel were talking, and I was left with the boy. It was all I could think to say.

"Yeah. I have Gnome with me," the boy said, pulling out a card. "Do you want to see him?"

I entertained the idea, but I knew that Gnome had a certain reputation. He would probably cause more trouble than he was worth. "I'll take your word for it now."

He nodded, putting his card away. I wondered if it was disappointment in his eyes. "I have the power. They've told me about it since I was little..."

"A very great power," I assured him, remembering the way Martel had chided him. Although I couldn't shake the question that had been on my mind since he had first mentioned summoning. "But don't you need some powerful elven blood to do that?" There was a flash of fear in his eyes, and he was on his feet like he was going to bolt. He covered his face like he was expecting me to hurt him. "Mithos," I asked, "what's wrong?"

"When people find out what we are, they don't like us," he said quietly. "They nearly chased us out of Meltokio, the first time that we came-"

"The first time?" I asked. And then I remembered reports of a green-haired woman with a boy by her side trying to gain audience with the king; they had a warning. That was before my marriage but everybody talked about it; they were said to be fools. Well, until the day of the attack... "You were the ones who tried to warn the king about the Mana Cannon." He nodded; he still looked like a deer in headlights. If that happened, it was a wonder that they had ever come back. I could hardly believe they had the bravery when traveling with a Sylvarant soldier! I beckoned him over to my side. "I'm not going to hurt you, Mithos. It doesn't matter to me that you have elven blood. If anything, it helps with the quest. We're going to need your power to end this war." I regretted saying it, knowing it couldn't be done, but his eyes lit up when I said it as if he believed me. That this young boy could bring about the end of the war with his power. Perhaps I wanted to believe that too.

He nodded, slowly sitting down next to me. I decided to switch gears. Knowing that he was an elf, I had so many questions. It wasn't every day that I got to meet one. "I don't think I've spent much time around elves-"

"I thought you were friends with Yuan?" he asked. "He's a half-elf, just like me and my sister."

"That's true." I had never really thought about him as a half-elf though, even though it shone plainly in his blue hair. "He never showed me his magic though. I guess the people in the city frowned on it. I was... very young then. I always wanted to see magic."

"I can show you some." He held out his hand, and light danced across his palm. I made the appropriate 'oohs' and 'aahs.' He spent the rest of our waking time showing off his magic, mainly his light magic, until it was time to go to bed. As I went to sleep, I smiled at the thought of the elves I'd made the acquaintance of.

The next morning, as we were getting ready to go, Martel approached me. "When you were in the city," she asked, "did you meet an intimidating man with red eyes?"

"Which one?" I asked, and her eyes widened. I wasn't messing around with her; I knew several men in that city with blood red eyes, each more intimidating than the last.

"I don't know his name. He was traveling with us, we rescued him, but he got separated from us. He said that he was from the capital, so I thought you might know him. I was hoping that we could find him. He had a crest that looked like this." She handed me a picture; I would know that crest anywhere.

"Well, that is the crest of the Aurion family," I told her. "They're one of the most famous families in Meltokio. Captain Aurion," I paused for a moment; he might be the man that they were looking for, but I didn't know how to say that they could never find him, "is the king's personal guard. But I don't know whether it's him or his sons that you're talking about."

"Sons?"

"He has twin sons. I was never able to tell them apart." I had only seen them around the castle; I didn't even know their names. And they were always together, so I never bothered to know which one was which.

"Sorry if I can't help you."

"No, no, it was silly of me to think that you'd know everybody there," she said, looking over her shoulder at Mithos and Yuan. "It looks like we should get going. We have a long day ahead of us."

We went back to the boys, who were looking over the map. "So, where are we headed to next?"

"The Temple of Darkness."

I shivered at the sound of it. What a place, for our first temple. "Well," I said, "I guess we better get going."

We had traveled for a long time, but we finally reached the Temple of Darkness. I wasn't sure what to expect, even Mithos seemed nervous, as I slowly pushed the door open. Somehow, I doubted that the Summon Spirit there would be very friendly.

As I stepped inside, I found that I couldn't see a foot in front of me. What a surprise. The Temple of Darkness was dark. And then I remembered what Mithos had showed me. "Mithos, you need to use some of that lovely light magic of yours to light our way."

"Right." Mithos stepped forward, his light blazing in his hand. His step was unsteady, but Martel went to his side, leading the way. She seemed to walk with ease.

Yuan looked at me like I was crazy, then he smiled. "Ah. I do believe that we half-elves can see better in the dark. It's still dark, but we can see now, with his spell." He offered me his hand. As soon as Mithos's light revealed all the edges, I took his hand and hoped that half-elves were steadier on their feet too.

We climbed deeper and deeper into the darkness, but their steps hardly faltered. If anything, they seemed more confidant in the dark. In the silent, heavy darkness, it felt like we would try to find our way forever. Wandering, trying to find our way out, going ever deeper and deeper in the darkness that never ended.

"This is it; I can feel his presence," Mithos announced. He drew a deep shuddering breath, his light flickering out in his hand. "I'm going to need all of my energy for this fight."

I placed my hand on his shoulder. "We'll be beside you in this fight. I'm pretty good with a sword, and I know Yuan can fight-"

"It has to be him," Martel spoke out; I turned to the sound of her voice. Mithos was just a child; how could we leave him to fight something that he knew nothing about? "Believe me, there is nothing that I wish more than that my brother would not have to fight by himself, but he is the summoner. He must fight the spirit alone so that he can prove that he is strong enough to summon him."

"I'll be fine," he said, though his voice did not scream confidence. "The three of you should get out of the way of the damage. Knowing spirits," there was something in his voice that I could not identify, something I could almost call fear, "this place will not be pretty."

I wasn't sure I was convinced, but the others lead me away, up the stairs, to wait for the news. I could hear Mithos's voice cry out to the spirit. Waiting, out of sight, just enough to hear the sounds of the battle below, it was enough to make one go mad.

And then there was a scream; it didn't sound like the spirit's!

"Mithos!" Yuan cried. Before Martel could warn him, he was tearing down the stairs, his strange sword already in his hands. Martel was frozen; I didn't know what to do.

"The spirit... will be mad," Martel said quietly. And then she grabbed me by the hand and ran.

As we made it to the battlefield, I searched for any sign of our fighters. Even in the darkness, I could make out Yuan's blue hair. And then I noticed the red below. I felt sick to my stomach as I saw sweet Mithos in Yuan's arms, a gaping wound in his back. Then I noticed the.. .things surrounding us. Creatures made out of the blackest darkness; I could not see the number. They blocked out the world with their power; there was only these things...

"Indignation!" pure power like I had never seen before ripped from Yuan, aiming at the darkness. I could Martel's voice calling out spell after spell, and I knew it was my duty to fight too. I couldn't just leave my friends, could I? I drew my sword, and I fought the darkness. I didn't know how I could attack those things, but I tried what I could, I slashed at it like it could feel-

"Proven," a voice said, a voice that resonated through me. The heavy darkness seemed to lesson, and I saw a figure standing before us, the shape of the creature but so much larger. "Vow."

Mithos looked up, his eyes practically glazed over, but he managed to say, "I want to protect this world.. Lend us your power!"

"Vow made..." With that, the darkness was gone. And we turned our attention back to our bleeding hero, losing color every second. Martel was whispering healing spells, but it didn't seem to do much good. She shook her head, brushing tears from her eyes.

"It's no use. My spells are exhausted. We have to get him out of here!"

"I know where we can go."

"My friend is in danger; I fear that he might not survive much longer. I need you to heal him right away!"

"Yes, Milady." I grinned as they whisked Mithos away. I didn't have much power within the castle, but I was still a member of the royal family. So even though Mithos was an elf, and I could see the looks on their faces, they had no choice but to help him. Martel and Yuan nearly collapsed in gratitude, always watching the door. I took a seat, waiting. I had a feeling he was going to be fine.

"Thank you, Chasion," Martel said, sitting with me, tears in her eyes. "I was so afraid that I was going to lose my brother." I smiled at her, wanting to calm her.

"It's the least I can do," I told her. Trying to ease her, I said, "It's one of the perks of being royalty, getting people to do what you want."

"He's all I have left," she said, as if she couldn't hear me. I didn't know what to say to that, but I said the wrong thing.

"If you're worried about him, why did you let him make the summons?" I didn't know much of elf magic, but I did presume that siblings would have the same magic. Shouldn't you..."

"You'd think," she said, very quiet. I noticed Yuan slip away out of the corner of my eyes, and then she turned to look at me, a bitter smile on her face. "I failed last time."

"Last time?"

"It was a few years ago, before we met Yuan, when we still lived in Heimdall." The mystical village of the elves. How strange it was, that this woman, who looked mine own age, had lived there. Her eyes were distant as she spoke, her voice very soft. "They told us it was dangerous. The elves didn't care about the war, we hid in our own little village. To me, it was paradise. How bad could the outside world be?"

As I stepped into Gnome's cavern, I felt like I could take on the world.

"Your magic is powerful," my father- she could sense these things- would say to me and Mithos, when we were little. "You're going to make Heimdall proud."

And now pride swelled up inside me as I stood before Gnome. He was big, but I didn't feel small. I told him, "I have come to make a pact with you!"

And he laughed, a hearty sound. "You have to fight me first. Do you think you're up to the challenge?" And he attacked me. Oh, it was terrible. All of that power I thought I had was gone. I tried to cast a spell, but he hit it away each time. The few spells that managed to catch him did nothing.

With one powerful blast, he sent me back. The world was spinning, and I saw another spell charging under him. I knew that it would be my last. I was going to die; I had never been more afraid.

And then he was there. "Don't hurt my daughter!" My father. He had known that I had gone- and where I had gone. He was there, my hero. And he helped me to my feet and healed my injuries. His eyes were harsh with anger, but he turned and he fought for me. And we fought together.

With my father by my side, I felt strong. I could fight, and together we did. Together, we managed to fight Gnome. When we fought together, he didn't like that.

He blasted my father; I'd never seen anything like it before or since. I ran to him, but he was... he was already gone.

Gnome looked at me and said, "If you're going to fight me, little girl, at least have the strength to do it alone."

It all happened so fast, there was nothing I could do to save him. I doubt he even felt it. I ran all the way back to Heimdall. I was so ashamed; I couldn't speak to my mom, I couldn't look at Mithos. Mithos looked so much like him. He has hair like mom, but their faces, their eyes, are the same.

When they found out, they blamed us. They blamed me. My father was an elf, we were just half-elves to them. Without him, we were nothing. I was a nothing who had killed her own father. That's what they said. They made us leave.

"I'm sorry, Mithos. If I hadn't been so afraid-"

"I can't believe they'd do such a thing to us. To kick us out like that!" Mithos snarled, pulling vines away in the forests. It was a long walk from the village we had once called home. He turned to me, staring with those wide blue eyes. "You're sorry?"

"I did it."

He placed a hand on my shoulder; his face was suddenly calm. "Do you think that I could ever blame you?" he asked. "It wasn't your fault. It was Gnome's. And I am going to get him. I'm going to make it right."

"And he did. He fought him and made a pact with him. He does have a good heart; that was where he had the idea to use Gnome's power to end the war. He fought bravely there, just like dad did. He was so strong. I thought I wouldn't have to worry, but he only has light magic. Light magic is weak against darkness.."

She turned to look at me. "That's why I was so harsh. Because it was my mistake. Because when my father fought with me, it got him killed. I don't know why Shadow didn't kill us, why he accepted Mithos's vow, when he should have. Maybe it's different for different spirits, I didn't know..."

I pulled her into a hug. I didn't know what else to say. "I'm sorry."

And we sat like that for a long time. Finally, Yuan stepped out, a smile on his face. "He's going to be all right. The doctors say that he's going to be just fine." Martel buried her face in her hands, smiling like crazy. I couldn't help but smiling too. I noticed Yuan looking at her with something like regret. He went over to her, whispering something to her, but she just shook her head. I sat there and relaxed.

Two spirits down; six to go. And that was just the beginning of the adventure.