After four long years, I have finally revised this difficult chapter into one that overall seems to mesh better. My apologies in such a long wait; I hope this chapter proves at least mildly satisfactory.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Tales copyright or the characters; I am merely a fan who enjoys writing about them. All rights belong to Namco/Namco Bandai; character designs (c) Kosuke Fujishima.

WARNING: CONTAINS CHARACTER DEATH

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A cold breeze in the air. Dark clouds over head. Heavy drops of rain.

It was a dreary time for all, and even the planet seemed to be crying. Ion, Fonmaster of the Order of Lorelei, had passed away only a few short days before...and much of Daath was mourning his loss. Knights saluted and people cried. Though most citizens were not allowed inside for the ceremony (Order members only, after all), the populace were all overcome with a sense of sadness.

But they did not know the real person. Though he fulfilled his duties meticulously, had both Kimlasca and Malkuth wrapped around his finger for the most part, and was respected greatly by all people, it was but a facade. Bitter - far more bitter than a child his age should have been - and desolate, that was the true personality of Fonmaster Ion.

He had not always been this way, not at all. Had the Score never been written down, in fact, life likely would have been much different for the young boy.

He was the son of peasants - two hard-working, Score-keeping Malkuthians from the St. Binah region. Shortly after his birth, a Score was read, proclaiming him to be the next Fonmaster - when he was a wee four years old, he was taken to Daath to begin training. It was a lonely time, and he didn't fully understand it at the start. Still, he retained his innocent personality, and though sad, he was cheerful.

That would all change.

It happened on a fateful day in his ninth year. The young Fonmaster had finally completed his training and was faithfully leading the people in the ways of the Score...when he happened upon his own.

Twelve years. Twelve years, twelve fleeting years, that's what his life was worth to Lorelei. An illness would be his downfall, a blasted illness that no doctor knew the cure to, after only twelve fleeting years of life.

Everything about the boy changed in that instant. He became empty and resentful, almost cruel, and lonely and sorrowful. He grew to hate the Score, to hate the people, and to hate the way the people were addicted to the Score. In short, he came to hate the world, and everything within it. He cursed it, loathed it.

It was a bitter, bitter life.

And so the people grieved him; and many of the Oracle Knights were melancholy to a degree. Of the upper clergy, however, only Commandant Van Grants and Maestro Tritheim truly mourned the boy's loss.

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10-year-old Anise Tatlin walked down the hallways of the cathedral. The ceremony for Ion had just finished, and now it was back to regular duty. She meandered through the halls back to Oracle Knights Headquarters, idly wondering what would become of the Fonmaster Guard - there was not much use for such without a Fonmaster needing guarding, after all - when she heard despairing, heart-wrenching sobs echoing throughout the Headquarters' lower halls.

That sounds like... It was not easy to follow the sounds in a place where sound was everywhere and nowhere all at once, but gradually, slowly, she could make out the direction from which it was coming. There, clutching her doll, sobbing without restraint, was none other than Arietta, the late Ion's (now former) Guardian. He had been harsh and unforgiving to many an Oracle Knight, but to Arietta he had always shown a degree of kindness.

"Arietta...?" Anise slowly approached. She wasn't really afraid of Arietta - save for the ligers and griffins and any other number of monsters the crying girl freely controlled - but still, she wasn't sure how the beast master would take to her presence.

"Ion..." the pink-haired girl whispered now, "Ion...why...you promised...why did you leave me? Why did you leave without telling me?! Ion!"

The last of these was punctuated by yet another screeching sob, and Anise couldn't just let the girl be. "Arietta," she said again, "Arietta!"

"A...Anise?" the former Fonmaster Guardian looked up; Anise felt an unexpected pang of sympathy for the beast-raised girl. Arietta's eyes were puffy and rimmed in red, her skin was splotchy and her voice was hoarse. Even now, thick tears of unabashed sorrow ran down her cheeks, and a choked sob would escape her lips. The girl known for being raised by monsters, Arietta had been a bundle of instability prior to joining the Knights. Ion had taught her everything; it was only natural that, of all the Knights, she would be the hardest hit by his loss.

"Arietta..." Anise didn't really know what to say - she had never much cared for the Fonmaster, although it was tragic that he had died so young. She was sorry that he had never really had a chance to live life.

"Oh, Anise, why did he leave? He promised, he promised he wouldn't leave without telling me!" she cried now. "And now...now..."

"Arietta," Anise said now, softly. "Maybe, maybe he...Arietta, I know it's hard, but I'm sure Ion wouldn't want to see you sad, not like this..."

She winced at the sound of his name. "Ion...Why?" she questioned again. Slowly, shakily, she stood up and began walking away.

"Arietta?"

But there was no answer, as Arietta dragged her feet as she went down the hall.

The black-haired girl tilted her head and huffed - fine, if Arietta was going to be that way. Anise stalked off; Mohs or Tritheim would have her new orders.

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Five months later, a squad of Malkuthian Knights, dispatched to deal with a nest of Ligers in the Engeve Woods, reported finding a body...wearing the tattered remains of what appeared to be a Fonmaster Guard uniform. There were no weapons or any indication of the cause of death; rumors circulated of the most cruel and ridiculous things...but it was quietly agreed by many that she had simply lost the will to live, dying of exposure and a broken heart.

Sixteen days later, another ceremony was held, one for the former Fonmaster Guardian, Arietta.

This time, Anise truly mourned.

Again, my utmost apologies for the ridiculous wait; this is literally THE most difficult chapter I have ever had to write, in ANY of my fics. Many thanks for you patience; I hope that you have enjoyed it. Two other chapters, "insight chapters", will be posted by the end of next week.

Thank you all for reading!

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

- Nearly everything regarding Original!Ion is official, save the part about his parents being from the St. Binah region (and I don't remember if it says how old he was when he read his own Score; I made him nine). But he really was the son of Malkuth peasants and the Score proclaimed him to be the next Fonmaster, which is why he was allowed to be taken away to Daath.

- From the Dance! Dance! Dance! Gaiden, it appears that Anise went into the Fon Master Guard anyway; that particular decision had nothing to do with Ion (though like all things in Abyss, it may have had everything to do with the Score, although this is not said anywhere).

- Arietta got to the Liger's nest with that bird-monster she's seen with; going west from Daath, it's not as far. The Liger's nest is not in the Cheagle Woods, but rather north of them; they only move to the Cheagle Woods after Mieu burns down their home, which doesn't happen until 2018.

- Arietta dies of a combination of dehydration and exposure, having lost the will to live. I know Largo says that she "would have killed herself" if she knew about Ion's death; that's Largo's interpretation and all the player sees. However, I think it's far more likely that, rather than actively killing herself, Arietta would simply slip into such a deep depression that she would neglect her own care and hygiene, refusing to eat or sleep, eventually dying because of that.

On that note, may I just enclose a plea to anyone who's suffering, in any way, serious or not-so-much: please, don't anyone think they're all alone - please allow people to help. Everyone needs a hand sometimes - the strongest people know when they can't do it on their own. The strongest people are the ones who know when they need that help.

To everyone...please, just be a friend. Take time to say hello or give a simple smile to someone...sometimes, that little ray of sunshine is all somebody needs :)