Authoress Notes ∙ UPDATE?! Yes I actually got off my ass and updated. Reminds me, sorry for not updating. My creative juices went dry, until I saw someone else's fanfiction and thought, "Oh hell, I'll go update too." since I'm long due anyway. This might not be that great though. It's 6:50 a.m. and I'm working on an empty stomach.
Disclaimer ∙ I don't own.
Notes ∙ Edited. :B Lulz, sorry guys who had this alerted. And here I thought the Yulian Seals were the things at the door that Ion opened... GOD I FAIL AS A TALES OF THE ABYSS FAN. Lawl. Edited again. D: The lines dissapeared for some psuedo reason.
Sync stood in front of the door. His hands were raised before him as a familiar circle appeared. The pieces of the seal began moving, but it was nowhere near the speed that the 7th replica or the original could work at. Arietta often glanced at Sync's work and pondered why he could open Daathic Seals. The other God-Generals told her not to question it, giving the excuse that it was a part of his past, and that the God-Generals had no need to know about each other. Still, that didn't satisfy Arietta's curiosity. She wanted to walk over, tear him away from the seal, and ask him why he could open the Yulian Seals.
Now that it she was thinking about it… Sync could also utilize Daathic Artes. Weren't those reserved for the Fon Master only? And he always reminded her of a sick and twisted version of Ion. She turned her eyes away from Sync, and looked at the entrance of the valley.
"We're going to Tataroo Valley then?" Natalia asked, confirming the information set before her. Jade gave a firm nod, and Natalia nodded as well, which proved they were both ready and knowing about what was going to occur.
"We have to have the Fon Master open the Daathic Seal, right?" Tear also asked, and again, Jade nodded.
"Ion, are you sure you want to?" Anise inquired, looking at his paling face. Her voice sounded a bit hesitant, like she wanted to back out of this journey that very moment. She was young, so the group brushed it off as simply fear, though Jade kept a keen watch on Anise.
"My, Anise, you're scared?" Jade taunted, and Anise pouted, invisible steam rising from her head.
"I am not scared!" She shouted back, and the group sighed as the pair began to bicker back and forth. The group sighed and shook their heads. These kind of disputes happened everyday. Natalia watched and thought of Luke. When he lived in Baticul, he and Natalia would always get into fights. They never directly apologized, but always ended up forgiving each other. She paused, remembering the red-headed replica who stole Asch's life 7 years ago.
Now he was a God-General.
To think they had to fight him… It hurt. The very thought of it left a cut in Natalia's heart. He may be a replica, but that didn't make him any less the Luke she knew for 7 years. She knew it hurt the others too, even Jade. Natalia felt at fault, but then they all were. When he destroyed Akzeriuth, all they did was yell at him. Given the situation, they had the right to, but…
But it wasn't his fault… Natalia mused, thinking back on it. Natalia was angry because he'd trusted Van so much, and said how it wasn't his fault. The princess couldn't help, but pity him now that she looked back on the situation. He was sheltered for all his life, and all of sudden, the whole world is thrust at him, and now he's chained by the sin of killing hundreds of people. It must have hurt, and Luke, having been raised selfishly, didn't know what to do… surely he didn't want to shelter the blame on himself.
No one would want to be blamed for killing thousands of innocents.
"Luke," Van said as the God-General stepped into his office.
"You called, Commandant?" Luke asked, and Van gave a firm nod. Luke stared at him with lifeless eyes, like he usually did to everyone, except a few like Arietta.
"I would like a report on sustaining Asch's memories." Van ordered, and Luke nodded.
"It looks like Asch hasn't realized that I've sealed the key memories of his time as a God-General. He didn't remember about the 7th Replica of the Fon Master. I've sealed his memory about our mental connection as well." Luke explained, and Van looked satisfied.
"I never would have thought that this is what a replica could do." Van explained and Luke shrugged.
"The world is an unexpected place." Luke retorted. Van nodded and gave a wave of his hand, dismissing Luke. The God-General turned towards the door, but paused, asking one question.
"Commandant, why did you send Arietta to the battle field?" It was obvious why it would be bad to send her. She might catch on to Sync's identity once she sees him open the Daathic Seals. Furthermore, she'll go ballistic if she finds out about the true Ion.
"Sync, how are you feeling?" Legretta asked as Sync continued to push the objects in the Seal in different directions. Sync simply nodded, which prompted to Legretta to step away, as he had to concentrate on the Seal. He didn't seem okay though. He looked frustrated, and he was starting to get sweaty, which made his clothes sticky.
Curse you Yulia, for making this forsaken seal. Sync mentally said as he began to work on the puzzle again. When Sync said Daathic Seals were like Seals that were like puzzle except unimaginably harder, he was only saying that as a figure of speech. Sync thought they'd get easier after a few long years…
No, these puzzles were just as hard as they were back then, if not harder. Plus, Sync was supposed to be one of the smarter replicas.
A ruffling sound disrupted Sync's concentration. He mentioned to see the incoming enemies, or whoever they may be, but he couldn't. The moment he activated the Seal and began to undo it, he was caught in its embrace. His body couldn't move, like something heavy was chaining him to his position. He listened as Legretta aimed her guns and Arietta's ligers growled.
"Major?!" Tear shouted, stepping into the limelight. Legretta fired her gun, which Tear countered with a dagger. The blade and bullet fell to the grassy earth, close to Tear.
"Too slow! Didn't I teach you to react whenever there's an enemy?" Legretta questioned, but Tear didn't reply. Jade materialized his spear and grabbed hold of it.
"It looks like we have enemies." Jade stated with colorless humor, and the group gave a firm nod. Anise enlarged Tokunaga, Natalia strung her bow, Guy unsheathed his sword, Tear held her staff before her, and Asch pulled out his sword.
"Ion!" Arietta cried, directing her attention to the green-haired boy in the back.
"Arietta…" Ion whispered, but Anise moved Tokunaga in front of Ion.
"Ion, don't listen to Gloomietta." Anise advised, and Ion opened his mouth to say something, only to be interrupted by Arietta. She growled Anise's name and commanded her Ligers, holding up her doll in the opposing group's direction.
"Go!" She shouted, and ligers ran forward, and Legretta jumped onto a small ledge, as she used it to get behind the group, immediately engaging combat with who she found the most dangerous; Jade Curtiss.
While they fought, Ion turned his attention and his eyes widened at the site of someone opening the Daathic Seals. He was cloaked by the bushes and trees, and his already green color theme caused him to blend with the scenery.
"… Can it be…" He began.
"Reala was a being made to possibly house the spirit of Yulia…?" Luke asked, and Judas nodded.
"Researchers from Belkend were taken, and they made her. My sister and I were her caretakers, until we decided to run away. Life was horrible for her." Judas explained, and Luke looked into the sky, and back at Reala, who was asleep.
"It's like trying to make a Fon Master from scratch." Luke commented, before turning back to the sky again.
"Something like that. She was even able to read the Score… or some of it. She had trouble understanding the words, and it tired her. They also tried to make her contact Lorelei, something she could not do." Judas explained, and Luke opened his mouth to say something else, but Judas cut him off.
"Reala got sick of her life after a while and opened up to my sister. She said she didn't want to know the future, and when someone would die…" Judas told him, and Luke recalled how the deaths of the people in Hod were predicted… and the people of Akzeruith.
"Why did she suddenly get sick of it though?" Luke asked. He wasn't sure if she was just tired of it or what.
"Reala… She read the death of my sister, and later, myself." Judas explained, and Luke's eyes went wide.
"I've got you!" Guy hollered as he fell from the sky, pointing his sword down as it directly pierced the heart of a monster that was Arietta's ally.
"You… You killed my friend!" Arietta shouted, and lifted her doll, beginning to cast again.
"Arietta, please, stop!" Ion shouted, and the pink-haired God-General stopped her casting, but Legretta shouted from across the field, still in lock with Jade.
"Arietta, keep fighting!" Legretta demanded, but Arietta looked between her ally and Ion, and she couldn't find one to choose.
"Stop this madness! Arietta, please stop fighting!" Natalia said, trying to convince the small God-General. Arietta clutched her doll. With everyone barking at her, especially Ion, she didn't know what to do anymore.
"I… I have to fight! I have to fight, so I can free Ion from Anise!" Arietta retorted back, and raised her doll to cast, but Asch intervened, swipping his sword at one of her ligers.
"That Ion isn't even the real one, Arietta!" Asch roared from across the battle field, and Arietta's doll hit the suddenly cold ground.
"It's over now, Gloomietta!" Anise shouted as she ran over on Tokunaga. She moved to hit Arietta with Tokunaga, but with luck, Sync came out from the bushes, kicking Tokunaga and knocking it back. Anise fell onto the ground with a thud.
"Hey!" Anise shouted, and Sync stepped on her arm, preventing her from rising. He turned his attention to Legretta as Anise attempted to remove his leg. She looked up and opened her mouth to yell at him, pausing as she saw what felt like familiar green eyes under his mask.
"I'm done with the Seal. It's been opened. Hurry up and beat these guys so we can return to Daath." Sync commanded, and Legretta nodded, her eyes never having left Jade, whom she was still in a dead lock with.
"You mean the Daathic Seal!?" Tear asked, shocked. Only Fon Masters could open the Seals, couldn't they…?
"Sync…! You opened the Seal?" Ion shouted, about to ask the question which would turn the tides of the battle. He was cut off by the sudden arrival of a God-General.
"That's enough." Luke called the attention on himself, the group freezing as they saw him already behind Anise, his sword pressed against her cheek. There was a stream of blood flowing down Anise's cheek. She was paralyzed in fear. She just might die. Sync removed his foot with a smirk.
"Another move, and Anise is dead." Luke ordered, moving his sword down to her neck, keeping it only a finger's length away. Anise could feel the cold come off Luke's sword.
Authoress Notes ∙ My neck hurts. Time to go sleep or play Brawl if I can't sleep.
Anise ∙ Please review!
