Lloyd: Um…ok. Jen Rem doesn't own ToS or FF. Only Tiamatt, the Oblivion Blade, Ash, and Eria.
I sat silently watching Eria sleep as my mind tried to shake an odd feeling of foreboding. The unease had kept me up most the night and I could help but wonder what was the source.
"Ugh…" Eria moaned as she opened her auburn eyes and sat up.
"Are you ok?" I asked the girl as she blinked a couple times and looked around.
"I feel like Noishe just tackled me." She groaned, as she looked at me.
"Noishe? You haven't been introduced to Noishe." I cocked an eyebrow as she became rigid and gave me a nervous grin.
"I…uhh…umm…" Eria rubbed the back of her neck nervously.
"Tiamatt, how is she?" Raine asked as she entered the room. "Oh, you're awake!"
"Um…yeah!" the teen cried cheerfully happy to be saved by Raine. "Why?"
"There is something we all want to ask you and I think Tiamatt would be interested in."
"What do you mean?" I was curious as Eria's face clouded over with fear.
"I'm surprised that you haven't realized yet but I guess you will soon learn what the rest of us have already guessed." Raine replied, turning back towards the door. "Please hurry."
After Raine left, I turned to Eria and gave her a curious look, but the Remnant refused to look at me. She just stood up and walked to the doorway.
"Let's just get this over with…" She mumbled as I stood up and followed her out of the room and into the living room where the rest of the Tales group was gathered.
They sat huddled in a circle and glanced at the two of us as we entered.
"They do look a little alike." Sheena whispered.
"A little?! She's almost a perfect image of Tiamatt. Only she's shorter and has different eyes!" Zelos scoffed. "Do you think…"
"I can hear you guys loud and clear from over here you know!" I yelled at the group causing everyone to flinch and glance at Eria and me. "I really wish you wouldn't talk behind my back."
"Sorry." Colette apologized.
"Yes, please accept my apologies." Regal added.
"…" Eria obviously didn't like being talked about behind her back either and glared at the group.
"She looks a lot like both of them." Genis said.
"Eria, I don't mean to be rude, but do you know anything about your family?" Raine asked.
"…I'd rather not talk about it…" Eria replied, crossing her arms as she continued to glare.
"Actually, I would kinda like to know that too cause you're obviously not a true Remnant and you know stuff you shouldn't. Like Meteor Drive and Noishe." I added.
"I can't get out of this can I?" Eria asked me. I shook my head. "Fine but first of all, I blame Lloyd for getting me into this mess."
"Me? What in mana did I do to you?" Lloyd gaped.
"Not only was it your idea for me to come back to this time but you were also the one who threw me through the portal." Eria stated, glaring at him.
"What are you talking about?" Sheena asked, as confused as everyone else.
"Come back to this time?" Raine muttered.
"…First off, I'm not from this time. I'm actually from about 14 years from now. Second, some of you have probably realized a slight similarity between Tiamatt and me and that's because…well…" the girl paused.
"Subject appears to be the offspring of Tiamatt and Kratos Aurion." Presea stated suddenly as she examined both Eria and me. I could instantly feel my face drop.
"What…did…you…say…?" I stammered as Eria flushed a deep shade of red.
"I…I'm your…well…I'm your daughter…and well…Kratos is…my…dad…" At least I wasn't the only one with speech problems.
"Ha! I know this was all a dream! I knew and this proves it! Either that you're all a figment of my imagination." I laughed nervously. "Yeah that's it! I'm truly at Broadlawn's Psycho ward in a straight jacket. Man, everyone knew I was crazy but…"
"Tiamatt, this is real. I'm half Cetran and received my Jenova cells from you." Eria said, trying to get me out of my denial. "I was afraid this would happen, but that's why I was given this as proof."
Eria pulled an all too familiar pendent out from her jacket and shoved it in my face, causing me to freeze.
"My pendent…" I took the necklace from the girl who claimed to be my daughter and ran my fingers over the ruby and silver dragon that hung on the chain. "But how?"
"Well…this time is a little more unstable then other time periods because of you but we also had the warp portals that allowed me to get here." Eria explained, grabbing everyone's attention once again after I regained what little sanity I had left and returned the pendent to her.
"Damn, I keep screwing everything up, don't I?" I mumbled.
"That's doesn't appear to be the only thing you've been…Ah!" Zelos screamed and fell to the in a fetal position, hands over his jewels as I returned my foot to the ground.
"Remember Zelos, I kick, you bow. Got it?" I asked him as glared at him for even thinking such thoughts.
"Got it!" He squeaked in reply as mostly everyone tried to repress a snicker.
"That never gets old." Eria sighed, wiping a tear of laughter from her eyes.
"…Can we just leave or something?" I said quietly, still in denial that the girl I had seen as a friend had actually turned out to be…my daughter. "This is all too surreal."
"What do you mean?" Colette asked.
"Can you imagine being pulled from your world to one that was thought to be just a game? And then being turned into a character you created for a story?" I sighed. "Before I used to be human, just human. Both my parents had died in a car accident when I was 15 and I had been struggling for the last two years to finish school, maintain a job, and pay for the basics. I was so busy that I had no time for my friends and eventually pushed them away to become the nerd girl that everyone wanted to copy off of. Now I'm in a fantasy world as an OC I created for a story and have now found out that I have a kid."
"But you're here now and I know you've had a rough time adjusting but…aren't we all your friends?" Lloyd asked. I looked at him and realized the truth in his words.
"And I…I'd much rather just be your friend right now then your daughter." Eria added.
"…Thank you." I replied, a smile crawling over my face, but a shiver then went down my spine. "We need to go."
"What do you mean?" Zelos asked, voice still slightly squeaky.
"Four abnormal beings have repeatly flown overhead." Presea stated in her monotone.
"Cruxis?" Lloyd asked.
"No, worse." I answered, shaking my head.
"There's something worse then Cruxis?" Zelos cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "That's kinda hard to believe."
"Do you still believe I'm human?" I asked him.
"Umm…well you did nearly kill me when you turned into that dragon and said something about a remnant." The womanizer recalled. "How did you do that anyways?" Lloyd, Colette, Genis, Raine, Sheena, and Eria became deathly silent. "Did I say something wrong?"
"Forget it." I shrugged and then shuddered again. "Damn, I'm afraid their growing impatient."
"You not talking about more like that Dsanios guy are you?" Genis asked.
"Creeee!" the cry sent shivers running down my spine.
"Oh great! They have a phoenix." I said sarcastically. "We need to leave as soon as possible otherwise they may attack Mizuho."
Nobody hesitated. We made a mad dash across the plains north towards the Goaracchia forest that would lead us to Altessa's house as the four shadows followed us. I couldn't help but feel they were toying with us and leading us into to a trap but I said nothing. Sure enough, just before we could reach the forest, the Remnants surrounded us, blocking any way of escape we might have had.
"Hello Sister." The four armed one cooed.
"Kej!" I hissed. "I would have thought you'd leave me alone after Dsanios was killed."
"Now now Tiamatt. We just came to retrieve you as is Jenova's wish. If you come with us then perhaps your friends will live a bit longer." A phoenix sneered, as he returned to a mostly human form, leaving only his flaming will out.
"I die before I become Jenova's tool again!" I snarled, pulling the Oblivion Blade out.
"Fine. Then let me help you join the rest of your pathetic friends in the Lifestream!" Fralex grinned, flexing his fist and attaching battleclaws. "Meiya, be ready."
The only female of the group nodded and closed her eyes, a strange aura causing the air around her to bend and waver. I recognized what she was trying to do and tried to move but my legs were stuck. Looking down, I saw the same strange aura that surrounded Meiya now surrounded my legs and tried to restrain me. Fralex grinned and I finally noticed a shiny liquid that covered the tip of each of the claws. He must have seen the fear in my eyes because his grin grew bigger and he raced at me. If it weren't for Lloyd's swords blocking the attack, I would have been doomed along with the rest of the world.
"I'll handle this freak." Lloyd said, pushing back Fralex's claws as the others joined the fight. "You handle the blonde with the weird magic." I nodded and concentrated on my own sorceress magic to release Meiya's hold on my legs.
"I would have never thought you would master Time Compression so quickly." I yelled rushing at Meiya but she reflected my attack with a magic barrier. "Especially with Edea's powers." I leapt back and watched as she tried to attack me with TC once more. I retaliated with my own and realized in shock that she was now my equal.
"I guess this is a battle of endurance." She smirked.
Behind me, Lloyd and Eria kept Fralex at bay while Regal, Zelos, and Sheena fought Gailin, the griffin and Raine, Genis, Colette, and Presea fought Kej. I could hear the battle ring through the area and could see where the air was distorted, marking the spot where the two time compressive magics collided. I could also feel my energy being sucked dry as I tried to keep Meiya at bay but saw her flinch and twitch as her energy was also drained. I didn't know how much longer either of us could last but I knew one or neither of us would survive.
I'm here! Kratos' voice rang through my head as he joined the battle and blocked a blow that would have silenced Lloyd forever.
Protect Lloyd first! I yelled at him, making sure he didn't feel the need to help me when there was nothing he could do. I heard the thump of a body hitting the ground and prayed to holy that it was a Remnant. A moment later I heard the sickening snap of a neck breaking and another thump. I heard the laugh of Fralex and Kratos' frustrated cries as he tried to kill the firebird.
"Through the heart or across the neck!" Eria yelled at Kratos.
I smiled at the girl's knowledge but suddenly felt my legs try to give out of me as the last of my energy was drained. Not too far away, Meiya feel to the ground, dead, all energy to support life wasted in an attempt to follow Jenova's twisted ideas. The swooshing of an axe was heard seconds later and Kej's dying cry filled the air. All that remained now was Fralex, who continued to dodge attacks left and right, laughing as he easily attacked the Symphonians from the sky.
"Let's end this now." the phoenix laughed. "Phoenix Sword!"
Feathers flew off of his flaming winds, forming fire swords as they raced towards Kratos, who was dazed after being knocked in the head by a wing and the others were all to far away to block. I barely knew what I was doing but the last thing I remember was the look of horror on Kratos' face as the flaming swords pierced my chest and abdomen. My vision went in and out of focus and the cries of my friends faded until the world was white and silent…