Chapter Two– Oracle's Light

" Mmm..."

My eyes opened, and at first all I saw were blurs of blue and purple. Blinking, I pushed myself off of my stomach and onto my knees, rubbing my eyes to erase any sleep from them and looked at my surroundings.

From the looks of it, I was in a field with all kinds of purple and blue flowers with impossibly sliver-white stems, located on the edge of a cliff. Behind me were two beautiful sliver waterfalls.

' This place is gorgeous, but...' I shook my head to clear it. ' Where the heck am I?' I continued to survey the area, taking some steps forewords as I did so; the flowers beneath my feet made gentle rustle sounds as I passed.

' Man, so much fog...' I though, waving a hand in front of my face.

' And it's pretty thick.' Suddenly I felt my body stiffen like a wooden board, my muscles coiling and tightening.

' Why do I have a really bad feeling that I really wasn't alone here?'

Someone was speaking to me, addressing me directly. But I could hardly understand or hear them.

' Can't concentrate...' I thought dully, cradling my forehead in the palm of my hand. ' fading...'

*~*

All at once my whole body seemed to 'awaken'. My mind booted up like a computer and I regained my bearings and senses.

With a gasp caught up in my throat, my body scrambled and jolted into a sitting position.

But unfortunately, my body didn't agree with the sudden movement and I felt immense pain light through my entire being like a wildfire, giving off sharp spasms every time I tried to move a part of my body.

I hissed through my teeth and allowed myself to fall back against soft cushions. Blinking several times to clear my vision, I turned my head to the side and groaned out softly as my head gave a dull throb in response.

' Who on earth was that woman?' I thought groggily, letting out a shuddering breath as, inch by inch, the feeling returned to my body. It wasn't a pleasant feeling.

I stared blankly at the birds as they flew by the window, while on the inside I felt myself breaking down; I could barely remember what had happened to me, and I wanted so badly to wake up from this nightmare.

And that's what got me the most. I knew this was no dream, but reality.

The soft click of the door opening brought me back to my senses. I glanced towards the doorway as best as I could without triggering another headache.

Standing there in the open way was a young woman about my age, possibly younger. She just stood there with one hand on the door knob while the other hand held what looked like a damp towel. Mouth parted slightly in surprise.

From what I could see of the girl's profile from where I was laying, she stood just under my sister's height of 5'5", with bright sun-colored that ran down her back and ended at her waist.

The young girl blinked her sky-blue eyes for the first time in the last several seconds, and her mouth formed a big smile as her mind began to register the scene before her.

" Oh, miss! Your awake!" The blond exclaimed brightly, hurrying over to my bedside. " How are you feeling? Do you need anything?"

I stared at the girl in mild shock, easily recognizing her face now that she was close enough.

' Colette... the chosen.. Symphonia..?!'

Mistaking my shock for something else, the younger teen clapped a hand over her mouth. " Oh, hold on a minute! I'll go get Miss Selena and the Profess–" Her sentence ended adurptly, hading to attempt to run out the door.

But she had turned to fast and tripped over her own feet.

" Oops!" The girl squeaked. The blond quickly got back to her feet, her face tinted from her embarssment.

The door creaked as it opened for the second time today. This time, two other women entered, obviously older then the other girl who stood in front of me.

One of the females had short sliver hair that barely made it past her jawline. Her eyes a unique violet-blue shade.

The second woman had the same color hair as the younger girl, so people who didn't know them could easily mistaken them as sisters. But instead of her eyes being a nice blue color as well, they were an astonishing emerald instead.

" Are you alright, Colette?" The older blond asked, hints of amusement present in her voice as she walked over to the Chosen. Her companion made a straight beeline towards me instead.

" I see your finally awake." The sliver-haired woman commented quietly, as the two blonds behind her easily fell into a cheerful and lively conversation. " Can you talk?"

I blinked at her in reply before I worked at speaking. " Where..?" I croaked, unable to finish the rest of my sentence. The elven woman spared me a sympathic glance while she went about her task of mixing different herbs into a pitcher that sat on a night stand next to my bed.

" Drink this." The woman ordered, but in a gentle tone as she placed a mug of the strong smelling liquid in my hands. The steam wafted up from the cup and tickled my nose on the next breath I drew. I sneezed at the smell that invaded my senses and covered my mouth as I coughed and hacked.

" Drink it." The older woman repeated more firmly. " It'll help with the pain." I stared down at the murky liquid apprehensively and made a face; you know, one of those expressions a child makes when they're about to sallow the nasty liquid.

I mentally counted to three in my mind before taking a huge sip of the herbal water, surprised when the only thing I tasted was the hot water.

The elf smiled at her young patient's reaction.

" Those herbs are known for their effectiveness to numb pain." The healer explained when I looked up at her in question. " The fact that they're also tasteless makes them a favored option for healers with younger patient."

I just shrugged and took another sip, earning an amused chuckle from the sliver-haired woman before me.

" How is she doing, Raine?" The older blond asked softly, stepping up next to her companion at my bedside.

" Well, her body seems to be responding perfectly, at the very least." Raine responded distractedly, cupping her chin in thought. Something she did often when she brooded too much. " But.. her mana puzzles me."

The two women looked back down at their patient who was oblivious to the unwanted attention. Calm and more collected, I ignored the two pairs of eyes and focused on my thoughts.

" Young lady."

I flinched at the authorative tone and hunched my shoulder. Hey, if you were in a foreign world and at the complete mercy of strangers, you would be a nervous wreck too.

Raine sighed upon seeing my huddled form, and softened her voice to a gentle tone.

" Miss, you need to tell us what happened to you." The professor requested kindly, kneeling on the floor so she was just about level with me. " One of my students found you in a bad state in the forest not to far from here."

She locked her calculating eyes with my hesitant ones. " You were half-drowned with poison running through your system." I frowned myself. Could she be referring to my reaction with the bee-sting?

" I-I can't re-remember." I stuttered, gripping the sheets that pooled at my legs tightly between my fingers. " It.. It was raining... I-I felt sick–" I stopped in mid-sentence and gripped my head with both hands, unintentionally brushing against a sore area.

The blond woman sat down on the edge of my bed and pulled my hands away, taking great care to be gentle as she searched for the cause of my pain.

" Poor thing..." The stranger murmured, glancing down at me in sympathy. " Just rest." The blond gently pushed me down against the pillows and stroked my hair in a soft manner. Together with the warm comfort of the sheets and the woman's tender touch, I felt myself starting to drift.

' I.. need to.. find a.. way home...' Was the last thought that crossed my mind before I finally let go; allowing my already tired body to enter into a deep slumber.

" Selena?" Raine Sage questioned, glancing at her friend beside her when the woman had gone silent.

" .............." Selena Olathe pondered on her thoughts for a moment longer, before she finally broke the silence to answer her fellow healer. " I'm pretty sure that the trauma this girl has faced.." She began slowly. "..Has undoubtably locked some of her memories."

Selena allowed her arms to fall to her sides as she turned to face Raine. " Until the mystery around this girl clears up, I will resume responsibility for her." The inn-keeper stated firmly, her emerald eyes narrowed to empathizes her meaning.

*~*~

Almost two days had passed.

Children's laughter as well as the buzzing of conversation filled the village air the next day. Murmurs and whispers breezed around the small settlement like nothing; rumors of a mysterious young girl who dressed in strange clothing.

Who was she?

Where did she come from? What was she? So many questions about the girl was left answered.

" Ugh.." I groaned out as I awakened, pressing the back of my hand to my forehead where I felt unnatural heat radiate from my skin. ' Looks like I'm still here..' I thought. ' Wasn't a dream after all, huh?'

I rolled onto my right side so that I faced the window with my back to the door, watching with dull eyes as the clouds lazily blew past. Taking their own sweet time.

".................."

' Should I tell them I was from a different world, a completely different dimension for that matter? If I lied now, it could come back to bite me back in the ass later. But if I told them now, I don't know what would happen.

' Better wait and see.' I sighed, rolling onto my back again. I shifted my hands underneath me so I could push myself into a sitting position, not completely prepared for the sharp pain that ripped through my head in protest to my movements.

' Shit–!' I bit my the inside of my cheek hard in order to refrain myself from yelping out loud. Instead I fisted my hair while resting my forehead against my legs, hoping to take away some of the discomfort.

"..No–! You can't go in there!"

" Huh? Why not? I saved her, didn't I?"

The door to the room I was currently staying in opened so quickly that it ended colliding into a wall with a pretty loud bang. I winced as the harsh sound met with my sensitive ears and made my already aching head throb again.

But as I looked up to see who had entered my room this time, I was met with a bigger surprise then last time: Standing there in the doorway was everyone's favorite twin swordsman, Lloyd Irving.

' Spiky brown hair that defied gravity.. naive red-brown eyes.. Dressed in red while wearing suspenders.. Yep. It's Lloyd Irving, alright.'

And standing by his side was a young boy that hardly looked older then my baby brother, who had yet to turn twelve. His hair was a similar sliver-color to that of a certain healer I knew. As well as his cerulean eyes.

' Genis Sage.. The warlock....' I mused, watching the two friends fight in silent amusement.

" That's not the point, Lloyd! Raine said not to–" The spell-caster let the rest of his sentence trail off when he realized that his older friend was not listening to him. Instead, Genis noticed that the duo swordsman was staring in the direction of the bed. The elf followed Lloyd's gaze Until it came to a rest on my form, locking eyes with me.

Silence filled the room for the next several moments after that. The only thing that could be heard was the whistle of the breeze as it blew into the room from the open window.

' What on earth is wrong with these two?' I thought, starting to feel awkward from all the staring I was getting from the two boys. ' Haven't they ever seen another girl besides Colette before?'

The creaking of the wooden floor indicated that someone was nearing the room, and brought my attention away from Lloyd and Genis as that someone entered through the open doorway.

" Ah. Good morning, Miss!" Selena greeted me cheerfully, crossing over to my bedside while carrying a tray with a steaming bowl. " How are you feeling today? Did you sleep alright?"

I smiled at the inn-keeper and nodded my reply. I still haven't gotten over my shyness quite yet.

" That's good." The blond smiled, setting the tray on the night stand next to my bed before straightening her profile. " I see you finally met these two." She glanced her shoulder at the boys who had yet to recover from their 'shock.'

Selena chuckled at Lloyd and Genis, apparently amused by their expressions. " Well then," The inn-keeper turned her body towards me again. " I'll leave you alone to eat and peace. And," She jerked a thumb over her shoulder, indicating the younger boys behind. "–Mabey get acquainted with these two numbskulls. Until then, I'll come and check on you later."

And with that, the blond elven woman turned heel and strode out of the room, leaving silence to take her place. Unfortunately, she had also taken what little comfort I had when she was here. So now right now I was too nervous to even to look up.

" Is it true your from another world?!"

Startled by the sudden outburst, I jerked my head up without thinking and came face to face with the storyline's hero, Lloyd Irving. The duo swordsman was peering down at me with a excited grin stretched over his face, his red-brown eyes sparkling like that of a child's.

Surprised, I drew back, catching the attention of the young mage who had also been shocked by his best friend's actions.

" Lloyd!" Genis hissed frantically, rushing over to the older boy's side and taking hold of the brunette's arm, trying to pull Lloyd away and give the poor girl some room.

" Ah, sorry!" Although Lloyd was generally slow when it came to realizing things, he was pretty quick to come to his senses and back away.

' What the heck is wrong with me?' This was Lloyd, one of the kindest people you could ever meet, make-believe or not. I forced my body to stop shaking as best as I could and looked back up at the two boys, Lloyd looking concerned that he had done something terrible.

I smiled shyly, and Genis and Lloyd relaxed their shoulders with sighs of relief.

" Pardon me, I didn't mean to be rude." I said in a quiet tone. " You asked a question and I didn't answer. Please forgive me."

" No, it's nothing to worry about." Genis said reassuringly, Lloyd nodding in agreement beside him. " If anything, I apologize for my friend's behavior."

The swordsman stopped nodding at that point, having to have realized that the elf had been talking about him, and shot his best friend a, 'Hey!' expression. I smiled behind my hand, but the mage made not effort to conceal it and laughed openly.

" But is it true?" Lloyd asked again once the amusement had died down. " Are you really from another world?"

' Huh?' Now did startle me. How on earth did they come to that conclusion? I mean, it was true I wasn't from here, but still...

" I overheard my sister talking about it was Selena." Genis explained when I had looked to him for answers. " Lloyd found you on one of the riverbanks out in Iselia Forest; unconscious and barely breathing." The small elf frowned as he recalled as best as he could what happened. " But what really stumped us were your clothes. We've never seen garments like that before. Ever."

I frowned as well and gazed down at my folded hands. ' I guess I should really tell them the truth. It's the only option I have left.' I looked up again and opened my mouth to speak, but could not seem to form any words. Even if I told them, what would they think then? As if now, these people didn't have the slightest idea that Tetha'lla, Slyverant's sister world, existed.

The opening of the door decided it. I looked up again and Lloyd and Genis looked over their shoulders to see who had entered the room. And stiffened.

" Professor Sage/Raine!!" They both cried in unison, fear present in their voices.

And they had a reason to be. Raine Sage stood in the middle of the room, glaring at her students with the utmost annoyance. Her bangs shadowing her eyes only added to her scary profile.

" Didn't I tell you.." She began slowly, her teeth gritted. " Not to enter this room.. Unless I said?"

' Oh boy..' I mentally sweat dropped as Raine now advance upon the two cowering boys, cracking her knuckles threateningly.

" Um.. Please wait!" I said with slight hesitance. " Don't punish them. They didn't do anything wrong."

The Professor paused just as she had been about to hit the closest boy, which was Lloyd. " They.. Weren't bothering you?" She asked with slight disbelief. I shook my head a let myself smile.

" No. They weren't." I confirmed. Raine blinked a few minutes, processing my answer before she looked down at her balled fist and shrugged, dropping her arm and crossing over to me. Behind her, Lloyd and Genis, who had been hugging each other out of fear, let out sighs of relief for the second time.

" Have you calmed down?" She asked softly, referring to yesterday. " Have you remembered anything else?"

I tilted my head, as if recalling something dire important. ' I guess I really should come clean.' I mused. ' Or else I'll really regret it later.' I lifted my head and locked my eyes with Raine's wise sapphire orbs.

" This.." I lowered my head so that my messy bangs shielded my eyes from view.

"..Is not my world."

Shock went around the entire room, generated from the very words from my mouth and zapping each individual.

" WHAT?!"

I let out a small and quiet sigh as the whole room erupted into total chaos; only the Professor seemed unfazed by this, silently watching me as her students behind her continued to panic.

Why did I have a really bad feeling things were only going to get worse?

*~*

A little while later, Raine had shooed out her students while at the same, gathered all the important people of the village, which included Selena and Taka, who she had briefly introduced as her husband.

The said elf sat down on the edge of my bed and had a protective arm around my shoulders, whispering calming words to my hunched form as the people around me buzzed with excitement and suspicion.

A portly, middle-age looking man cleared his throat loudly in order to gain everyone's attention; the room died down at once, leaving him to turn back to the matters at hand.

" So, what you mean to tell me--" The man shot me a quick suspicious glance. "– Is that this child is from a completely different world? How on earth could that possibly be?!"

" Mayor.." Raine sighed tiredly, rubbing the bridge of her nose. " You yourself saw her unique clothing when Lloyd brought her to the village. You were one of the first ones on the scene, correct?"

" W-Well, yes.. B-But–!"

" Plus this child has been on my, as well as Selena's, care and surveillance. She has done nothing wrong by my standards."

" Mine either." Selena cut in tersely, the hand of her arm that was wrapped around my shoulders rubbing my shoulder in a soft manner.

" But the real question is..." The school teacher turned back around to survey me with critical eyes, making me flinch in automatically in response. Those blue orbs softened immeditaly under the frightened expression, and the elven woman patted my head in reassurance before continuing her line of thinking to the crowd.

"..Why is she here? Is it by accident? Or was there intent in her appearance here in our world?"

Her hand slipped off of my head as she fully turned her body to address the apprehensive people, straightened with elegance like that of a determined woman.

" Until we can find those answers, I find nor foresee any danger in allowing her to stay in Iselia Village with us." Selena withdrew her arm and stood up from the bed, taking the silence as her chance to make a impact of her own.

" Taka and I will take full guardianship of the girl while she is with us." The blond elf continued confidently. " We will see to it see is taught and trained in the ways of the world."

Silence heavily fell yet again, as the humans glanced at one another. Some calm and self-assured, while few were still hesitant and undecided. It was then the Mayor decided to break the nervous spell with a defeated sigh.

The man started before the door, looking back only once to glance at the two elven women, and shake his head like ' I give up.'

As everyone else began to follow their leader out in a single line, I felt relief spread through my body like a blanket of warmth. ' Okay, first hurdle: cleared.' I let out a tiny sigh of relief myself and looked up at my new guardian. ' A thousand more to go...'

*~*

Over the past couple of weeks, I hardly saw Raine after that meeting. When I had asked about her sudden absence one day during lunchtime (she allowed me to come downstairs, finally..), the blond elf had answered that her long-time friend was busy looking up information to answer her own questions she surely had about my unexpected arrival.

Oh well. Mabey I can get her to tell how I got here in the first place, later.

Anyway, once both Selena and Raine had given their approval for me to get out of bed, I was then introduced to Selena's husband Taka, a rather skilled weaponsmith who ran a shop in their own inn. He immeditaly put me to work, first asking the usual questions: How much survival experince do you have? Do you know any self-defense or fighting art? What weapon is your specialty?

Quite honestly, I always thought I was the best at the bow and arrow over since I first tried it out when I was younger. But then Sammy had introduced me to the Naginata, and was surprised herself when I could wield it so easily on the first try.

Next, Taka set me to work by first learning the basic steps of self-defense. I didn't have time to take the class back home, but my best friend Sammy taught me some pretty amazing moves to disarm an opponet easily and escape.

It's my third weeks here now. And I'm already getting used to my life here already, much to my surprise. Genis mentioned that Colette's birthday is coming up pretty soon earlier today. That means the whole storyline is about to unfold...

Well, I should take my walk now, before it get's too late and Selena catch's me.

Jya ne!

Bev

*~*

In this world,

There are lots of sad moments.

A young woman in her late teens stood on the mildly tall hill, relishing the cool mid-night breeze as it softly kissed her cheeks and playfully messed with her long, butt length hair.

Meanwhile, a boy the same age as the girl with spiky brunette hair came to a halt on a dirt road just below the young female, eyes scanning his surroundings as if he was searching for something in particular. Spotting it, his red-brown eyes lit up upon the discovery and began his trek up the step hill.

Feelings that won't reach.

Thoughts that can't be communicated.

And broken promises...

(1st Person)

I tilted my head back as I enjoyed the calm breeze as it continued to howl cheerfully, leaning my body back little by little until I finally fell to the green vegetation below me with a soundly rustle. Even then the wind continued, ruffling my bangs like a caring parent.

Carelessly I turned my head to the side, and caught sight of a blackened, dead flower, that surely had it's own serene beauty when it had been alive. With a small sigh, I looked back up at the baby-blue sky, just in time to see a couple of birds fly overhead.

" Hey!"

A familar shout brought me back to attention. Curiously, I pushed myself into a sitting position, and to my delight found one of my newly found friends waving at me from not to far away.

Lloyd Irving glanced at the bundle he had slung over his shoulder with a confident grin, then quickly made his way up the tall hill again, this time at a faster pace then before.

I rose to my feet and smiled at him, but it faded ever so slightly when I noticed something. ' Isn't he going a little to fast?' It was soon answered when the tall young man tripped over a root in his path and began to stumble, landing on me since I was unable to support both ours weights.

Even if I had tried.

For a moment or two, we simply laid on the ground. Both stunned by the impact. But thankfully Lloyd recovered enough to push himself up slightly with his hands, muttering something under his breath before he caught sight of my ' Oh, Lloyd..' Expression.

Amused himself, his lips curled into a grin, and then we both began to snicker before it turned into full blown laughter.

After the air of humor had died down, the brunette quickly jumped to his feet before offering me a hand up. " I thought you'd might be out here." He mused with eyes dancing mischieviously.

" You sure love your night walks, huh?"

I let out a shy smile ( Even though it's been almost three weeks, I still hadn't really gotten to the point where I could speak freely without embrassing myself.) And nodded. Since I had Taka's training, as well as Selena's lessons, almost everyday, it was to get about an hour or two to myself before I turned in for the night.

" Anyway. The reason I came looking for you.." Lloyd reached behind him as he continued to speak. "..Is this."

It was the clothed bundle he had been carrying on his back; when he had untied the knot that held it together, I merely took a glimpse at the item inside before I let out a soft gasp of surprise.

It was a beautifully made, sliver-handle bow. Along with a white material quiver with sliver lining snaking up along it. " I told Dad all about you. And, well.." Lloyd rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "..He made this for you."

Slowly and hesitantly, I took the bow and quiver from my friend's hands and admired it was a expression of complete awe, while the duo swordsman watched me apprehensively.

" Well.. Do you like it?"

No sooner had the question his mouth, a full blown smile spread across my face, and I threw my arms around the startled boy before I realized what I was doing.

" Heh.. I guess I'll take that as a yes..." Lloyd said with a smirk, patting me on the back brotherly-like.

Forcing the excitement down to a minamim before I embrassed myself any more, I released the swordsman and took a couple steps back.

" So Lloyd.." I began, rocking on my heels. " Was there anything else?"

His eyes lit up once more at the mention of my question, amusing me greatly. " Oh yeah! Here.." The boy reached into the pocket of his suspenders, and carefully pulled the desired object out is if it were fragile glass.

' Oh, Colette's necklace!' Instantly recalling when Lloyd had given his 'extremely' late birthday present to the blond chosen. I smiled, the smooth surface of the blood gem reflecting it back. Lloyd didn't seem too happy with it, though.

" It was supposed to turn out better then this.." The brunette made a pouting face and looked the other way. " Even my dad told me it was worse then second rate. About one-forth of what it should be.."

The child pout disappeared, only to replaced with his usual smile again as he turned back to me as I continued to examine it in my hand. " But I did the best I could to make it."

" I can tell." I replied, handing the jewelry back to it's owner. But not before giving my friend a teasing smile. " You must really care for her."

Quite literally, Lloyd's face turned bright red right after the words were said. Trying to regain some of his dignity, the teen turned around with a huff, muttering something about 'girls.' My smile only widened and let out a small giggle.

I was pretty sure that, no matter what would happen as the story progressed, I could get through it as long as I had friends like Lloyd at my side.

*~*

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

YOSH!! It's finally down, minna! I'm soooooooooooooooo sorry that it literally took ages to put this up. I have no excuses other then that I've been busy with school, work, and babysitting. Please, guys. I need your opinion on this. If I don't get any new reviews, then I might consider putting this aside for awhile. Even though I've revised this quite a few times.. I hope you'll give me your honest ideas. I'll have the next one up as soon as possible, fingers crossed!

PREVIEW:

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" Watch out..! LLOYD!!"