(A/N): Hey guys, here's the next chapter of Symphonic Abyss. I decided to keep writing in first person from now on. The whole story will be from Luke's perspective, unless I say otherwise. And to my second ever reviewer on this site, mog the 13 moogle, this story will follow the story of the games for both Abyss and Symphonia, but I will occasionally make an allusion to the animes. With that in mind, let's get it on!

Tales of the Abyss and Tales of Symphonia are copyrighted by Namco Bandai.

Chapter 4: Luke's Decision

As me and Lloyd went through the southwestern gate, we saw that same white "dog" I saw as I was walking to Iselia. Noishe, was it? Anyway, the dog ran up to Lloyd and started to whine.

"Hey Noishe. It's nice to see you." He said as he started to pet Noishe behind his large ears. Noishe then turned to me and stared at me for a little, not making a sound.

"Huh? Hey Luke, do you know Noishe?" he asked.

"Not on a personal level. He tried to sneak up on me as I was going to Iselia, but I caught him. His owner then came up to us, and I asked him directions to Iselia." I explained.

"Oh! So you met dad?" He asked, surprised.

"Wait, that drawf was your dad?! B-but… your human, and he's-"

"Dirk is my adoptive father. Noishe is our dog." Lloyd said as he continued to pet Noishe some more.

"Ah, that explains it." I said. I then knelt down and tried to pet Noishe. He sniffed my hand, and then allowed me to pet him.

"Wow, normally Noishe doesn't like strangers. I guess he knows your friendly because he's seen you before." Lloyd said as I pet Noishe behind his ears. At least I thought it was a boy.

"Anyway, shouldn't we get going?" I asked.

"Yeah. Noishe drops me off and picks me up every day when I go to school."

"Alright, let's go."

0o0o0o0

We walked through the forest with Noishe trotting in between us. Lloyd decided to ask me a question:

"So how long have you been practicing swordplay, Luke?"

"Since I was seven or eight. My family was friends with a swords master, so I learned most of my techniques from him." I left out the part about Master Van trying to destroy the world.

"Nice. Can you teach me some moves, or at least spar?" This surprised me. Someone asking me to teach them? I figured why not. It was the least I could do for Lloyd for letting me stay at his place.

"Okay sure. Why not?"

"Thanks, Luke!"

Skit: Swordplay

Luke: So Lloyd, I'm guessing you have two swords in case you lose one, right?

Lloyd: Nope. I use them both at once. (Victory Pose) If the power of one blade is 100, then the power of two blades would be 200, right?

Luke (Confused): …That doesn't make sense.

Lloyd (Angry): Yes it does! Professor Sage said that 2 are better than one! Shouldn't that apply to anything?

Luke (Sarcastic Look): …Riiiiiiiiiiiiight. (Normal) Then again, I once saw someone that held his sword in one hand and the sheath in the other, so I guess this isn't TOO abnormal.

Lloyd: Heh, right. C'mon, let's go. (Lloyd exits)

Luke (Ashamed): …Guy, I hope you and the others are coping well.

End Skit

As we walked up the pathway, I looked to my left and saw a big building that looked like it was made out of steel. Lloyd noticed this, and his face immediately darkened.

"The Human Ranch. We're not allowed to go there." My eyes widened. This is where all those horrible things happened to humans. I shuttered to think about how the Desians treated them.

"So that's what a ranch looks like. Do you have to look at this every day?"

"Yes." I decided not to press any further.

0o0o0o0

As we walked down the final stretch to Lloyd's house, some monsters attacked us. "Hey Lloyd, show me what got in this battle! Don't hesitate to ask me for help!" I said as I unsheathed The Key of Lorelei.

"Don't worry! This will be a piece of cake!" He said back as he drew both wooden swords from the sheaths.

The monsters we faced were a large bunny and two somewhat smaller bees. Before fighting, I used Steel to brace myself in case I got stung. Those stingers looked like they hurt. I then charged at the bees. "Fang Blade!" I shouted as the swung the Key downwards before slashing upwards while jumping. The bee died instantly. After bringing the other bee down with Havoc Strike, I finished it off with Raging Blast. I turned around to see Lloyd still going at the bunny. It then occurred to me that Lloyd was still a beginner, because his main strategy consisted of swinging his swords around and occasionally using Demon Fang.

"Demon Fang!" Lloyd shouted as he swung one of his blades horizontally, creating a light blue and white shockwave. It hit the bunny, but it wasn't very powerful, because it was still standing with barely a scratch. Frowning, I ran up to the rabbit and stabbed it, before charging up some energy in my fist and upper cutted the bunny.

"Rending Thrust!" I called out as I killed the rabbit. I then put the Key of Lorelei back in its sheath and placed both of my hands behind my head, leaning back.

Lloyd quickly put away his wooden swords and said excitedly: "Wow, Luke! I didn't think you'd be that good!"

"Heh-heh, thanks. I'm nothing special, though. I don't really consider myself a master swordsman yet."

"Well, I think you'd be a great master someday. Just keep pushing harder!" I grinned.

I smiled back. "Cool, now how much farther is your house?" I looked off into the distance, trying to find a building of some kind that wasn't the Human Ranch.

"It's just up ahead. C'mon, let's go!" And with that, we walked off.

Skit: Random Gald

Lloyd (Surprised): Wait, where did you get that gald?

Luke (Surprised): Huh? (Normal) Oh, I just found it in the corpse of those last couple of monsters we fought.

Lloyd (Surprised): …

Luke (Annoyed): Yeah, I don't know either. Don't ask.

Lloyd (Confused): Um, finders keepers?

Luke (Annoyed): Sure, let's go with that.

End Skit (1)

0o0o0o0

In no time at all, we arrived at Lloyd's house. It was fairly big, with two stories and a balcony. Noishe ran off into a pen to the right of the house, while Lloyd and I headed inside. When we were inside, we found ourselves in a kitchen. It had a big table against the wall with four chairs on the left, and an oven and stove on the right. In the back was a door that led to some other room. From said room I could hear a clanging sound. Behind the stove and oven were some stairs that went up to the second floor. It seemed like a nice place to live.

"Dad, I'm home!" Lloyd called out.

"Ah, good to see ya, mah boi (2)! How was yer day?" At that moment, the same dwarf that told me how to get to Iselia came out of the room in the back of the kitchen, albeit being covered in soot.

Dirk then looked at me then said: "Hey, ain't you the one who needed directions to Iselia?"

Lloyd interjected: "This is Luke. I met him at the item shop in Iselia. He said that he was traveling, and I offered him to stay with us. Is that okay with you?"

"So you've been followin' the dwarven vows, eh? Good to see I taught ya well, Lloyd. Anyways, Luke, it's fine for you tah stay 'ere. Ye seem like a lad who wouldn't be a troublemaker. That's good. Anyway, just put yer stuffs up in Lloyd's room, and I'll start making dinnah (2)."

"Really, sir? I don't want to impose…"

"It's fine, really Luke. Its part of the vows I live by to never abandon those in need."

"Okay, if it's really alright…"

"C'mon Luke, I'll show you my room! It's just upstairs."

We went up the stairs into Lloyd's room. The entire second floor was his room. It had a table with two chairs, a bed, and a door leading out to the balcony. I put The Key of Lorelei, my item bag, and backpack in the corner. Then we discussed sleeping arrangements.

"So Luke," Lloyd began, "how long do you think you'll be in Iselia?"

"Well, it depends."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, ah," I then told him about Phaidra's proposal.

"Wait, Colette's grandmother asked you to guard her?"

"Who's Colette?"

"She's my friend, and the Chosen. She was there right? Blue eyes, blonde hair? You should have seen her."

"Wait, that was the Chosen?!" That actually would explain why she was in the middle of the triangle formed by Phaidra and the other two priests.

"Yeah. Don't worry about her being mean. Saying she's mean is like saying the Desians like humans. So, are you gonna protect her?"

"Um, maybe. I'm still not sure."

"Hey, I think you should. After seeing what you can do today, you can easily protect her, Luke!"

"Thanks."

"Alright, if you think you decide to protect Colette, then I'll sleep on the floor."

"Really? I don't…"

"I've slept on the floor before. It's no big deal. Besides, what kind of host makes his guest sleep on the floor, anyway?"

I grinned. For some reason, I felt at ease talking with Lloyd. It was almost like talking to a less mature Guy. In fact, he reminded me a lot of Guy. Their fighting styles were similar and they were both incredibly humble. The fact that Lloyd is treating me, a complete stranger, with this much kindness made me think that if I can't go back home, at least I know Lloyd would be able to accept me. Realizing that, I felt the happiest I've felt all day. (3)

After dinner with Dirk (spaghetti and meatballs with fresh bread), I went up to the balcony outside Lloyd's room, while he sat on his bed.

Sitting on the railing, I asked Lorelei about becoming the Chosen's guardian.

"Lorelei, what do you think I should do? About becoming the Chosen's guardian?"

"Well, in order to make a decision, I think you should know a little bit more about the Journey of Regeneration. First, the Chosen must receive a blessing from an angel of Cruxis –the organization of the Angels- who would come down on the Chosen's 16th birthday and ask the Chosen if they would accept the task of regenerating the world. If the Chosen accepts, The Tower of Salvation will appear in Sylvarant. But, before going to the tower of Salvation, the Chosen must unlock four seals in four different temples all across the world. When the Chosen activates these seals, they will gain the powers of the angels, such as wings and angelic artes, but lose a part of their humanity, such as the ability to sleep or eat."

"Wait, what?! Colette has to sacrifice her humanity for the sake of the world?!"

"Yes. Now, once all this is complete, the door to the Tower of Salvation will open, and once the Chosen climbs to the very top of the tower, they will become an angel themselves. They will then descend to heaven, and Sylvarant is regenerated."

"And if the Chosen fails?"

"Sylvarant will die, becoming a desolate wasteland."

Wow, I now had a lot more respect for the Chosen. Although, something still bugged me. "Why are you telling me this?"

"If the planet's memory is correct, I propose a theory that the angels of Cruxis might know of Aulderant or how to get back there. Keep in mind that this is a theory, and might not work. So choose carefully if you decide to become Colette's guardian."

My mind was racing. A way to get back to Aulderant? I had to take the chance. It was risky, but I had no choice. If the angels don't know about Aulderant, I will just have to think of a new way. Simple as that.

Going back inside, I saw Lloyd getting ready for bed, dressed only in a dark grey tank top and some red boxers.

"Hey Luke, are you gonna go to bed?"

"Yeah, in a few minutes. I'm going to look outside for a little more. That alright with you?"

"Yeah, okay. See you tomorrow, Luke."

"Yeah. Goodnight."

Once Lloyd went to bed, I took out my newly bought diary I bought and started to write in it. It was decided. Tomorrow, I will find Phaidra and accept her offer. Aulderant, here I come!

Luke's Diary (4)

Important Notes: How time works

According to Lorelei, one year on Sylvarant is 365 days. A year is divided up into 12 months (in order: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, and December). Each month has a different amount of weeks divided into 7 days (In order"Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday). One day is 24 hours.

March 21

Day 1

Strange New World, Iselia, and a New Friend

Today, I woke up on a strange planet called after causing a hyperessonance in order to seal the miasma on Aulderant. However, Lorelei is still with me, and told me everything I needed to know about the planet. Afterwards, I made my way to a village called Iselia to buy supplies. There, I met Lloyd, who invited me to stay at his house. Something about a dwarven vow and helping those in need. Anyway, me and Lloyd split up after we found out that he needed to go to his school for something. He left, so I went outside the village to kill some monsters and see if my skills have gotten rusty. While fighting, an old lady named Phaidra asked me if I could accept the job of guarding the Chosen of Sylvarant. I told her that I would think about it. After that, I met up with Lloyd again and we went to his house. There, I decided that I would guard Colette, because The Journey of Regeneration could hold the key to getting back home. Tomorrow, I will go to Iselia to accept Phaidra's offer.

-Luke

0o0o0o0o

And that was Chapter 4. Sorry for the wait, but I'm lazy and these thing take awhile to write. Anyways, please feel free to review, and constructively criticize.

(1)Just so you know, the characters wondering why monsters are carrying money is going to be a running gag.

(2)I swear those Zelda CDi references weren't intentional. I just saw them while proofreading this part and couldn't resist. Yes, I know the joke is outdated, but I don't care!

(3)No, there is going to be no Yaoi between any characters, though expect a lot of bromance between Lloyd and Luke

(4)At the end of each in story 'day', Luke will right an entry in his diary. Keep in mind, the tie notes is just for Luke to remember how a year in Sylvarant works, because this a completely different time system then what he's used to.

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