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Tales of Symphonia: The Chosen's Path	By : TheGoodDoctorJ Category: +S through Z > Tales of Symphonia Views: 1681 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Tales of Symphonia and all related properties, characters, venues and likewise portrayed within are owned by NAMCO LTD. I make no money from this story, and do it solely for my love of the game.

Chapter List
- 1-Tales of Symphonia: The Chosen's Path
- 1
Once upon a time, there existed a giant tree that was the source of mana.

A war, however, caused the tree to wither away, and a hero's life was sacrificed in order to take its place...

Grieving over the loss, the Goddess disappeared unto the heavens.

The Goddess left the angels with this edict:

"You must wake me, for if I should sleep, the world shall be destroyed."

The angels bore the Chosen one, who headed towards the tower that reached up unto the heavens...

And that marked the beginning of the regeneration of the world.

__________________________________

Chapter I: The Beginning

"Lloyd Irving, wake up!"

The silence that passed seemed as though infinite as the boy was roused from his dream. He had been imagining his friend, Colette Brunel, covered in the feathers of angel wings... and little else. Her arms were spread and open, waiting for him to fill the space between them, her wings folded around her body, with just bits and pieces of her pale, almost porcelain flesh peeking out. He raced towards her in his dream, his feet pounding in this world, wherever it was, as he tried to reach her. He could see her lips forming a word, a single, solitary word; his name, but the tone of the voice that came from her mouth shook him from this pleasant fantasy. It was urgent, and displeased.

"Lloyd!"

The stout, brown-haired boy longed to look forever on the vision before him, her blonde hair and simpering pout beckoning and inviting. His eyes glanced over the hazy details that his mind formed, but as reality pulled him further and further away, it felt as though the more he tried to focus on the image of her, so scantily clad and standing there, the more it slipped from his mind... He jumped towards her, putting his faith in his strong legs to get him to the object of his desires safely... And then suddenly, she was gone; the sting of a chalk eraser that had been hurled at his forehead finally snapped his eyes open, and there he was, standing at the back of the Iselia schoolhouse again, with two buckets of water in his hands.

"Gahh!" Lloyd barked, hating the feeling of being torn from his afternoon nap. The heat from the mid-day sun bearing into the old one-room wooden school-house had lulled him into a state of drowsiness. As he stood in the corner, fighting to open his eyes in the harsh sunlight, he heard his teacher address him yet again.

"...How do you manage to sleep standing?"

The voice was one of both honest interest mingled with annoyance; Raine Sage, the local schoolmarm, always was one for taking an unhealthy interest in everything. Standing taller than Lloyd, with a messy crop of pale whitish-blue hair, her Azure eyes looked down at him with impatience, her anger clearly displayed upon her angular elven features. She wasn't happy that her usual method of punishment did nothing to deter Lloyd's habits. It seemed no matter what she did to try to punish him, he just bared it, putting up with the tedium until he eventually fell asleep. It was infuriating, but there was little she could really do. As she was half-way through making a mental note to devise something more sinister, Lloyd chimed in, his voice still somewhat groggy.

"...Oh, Professor Raine. Eh... is class over?"

'Will this boy ever learn?' Raine let out a defeated sigh as she began walking back towards the front of the classroom, catching a brief glimpse outside of the window. It wouldn't be much longer, now... It was the Chosen's 16th birthday today, and that meant she was to receive the Oracle. Shaking her head, she focused again on the lesson as she passed her younger brother, whom she knew would provide the answer to her query.

"Never mind. Let's have someone else answer the question. Genis, how about you?"

The boy stood up when called upon, standing shorter than most of the members of the classroom. Genis Sage, the smartest child in all of Iselia and a novice in the ways of magical arts, acknowledged his sister with a curt nod, and a verbal decree.

"Yes Raine."

Altogether, he looked much like Raine; his hair grew longer and was far less styled than that of his sister, though. It hung down in sort of a shaggy mop, falling somewhat in front of his eyes and touching his shoulders. His eyes were a subtle gray-blue, and they stared with a look of focused concentration as he recited from memory the answer to his sister's question about the Holy War.

"Mithos, the hero, brought about the end of the Ancient War in the Holy Ground of Kharlan."

He spoke confidently in a nasal tone that everyone in the classroom had learned to tune out by now. Genis was the one who answered most of the questions, after all. He was the resident shining star of academics. It wasn't unfamiliar for Raine to call on others, first, to ensure that her pupils were paying attention, but even the best of Iselia's human children just simply couldn't compare with the intellectual might of Genis.

"Correct."

Said Raine, knowing full well that Genis knew the answer to the question she'd posed. Everyone knew the answer, even Lloyd, which was why she'd tried to get him to answer it. Given the imminent proximity of the Oracle, she'd thought that having a history lesson about the War and the Goddess Martel was appropriate to help raise the spirits of the children. She also thought it would be a good chance to help with marks, which some students desperately needed more than others. She continued her lecture about Mithos with great fervor, hoping to impart at least some sense of interest in the children, but at that point, it had felt like her efforts were wasted.

"Afterwards, Mithos, the hero, formed a pact with the Goddess Martel to seal away the Desians whom caused the war."

At least, she thought they were.

"But the Desians came back, and are now causing everyone to suffer!"

Of course, she thought, and chuckled to herself. Lloyd would take an interest once the Desians came up.

And he had. Lloyd detested the Desians. He blamed them for the suffering of everyone in the village. The non-aggression treaty they held with Iselia meant that while the village and the nearby human ranch were at peace, the Desians also held sway over the village. Any time that the Desians chose, they were free to make stipulations about taking humans off to the ranch, under the threat of military action. Iselia had no military, or even a militia. All that they possessed for fighters was a small contingent of guards who volunteered to help keep the monsters out of the village. If the Desians wanted, they could storm in and ransack the whole village. But the Desians weren't foolish, and Iselia's mayor was no hero. Whenever the Desians wanted more humans at the ranch, A representative and the mayor would discuss things, and another family would be left torn apart.

That wasn't to say that all of the Ranches members came from Iselia, but a good number of the people kept there were formerly from the village. It had taken a heavy toll on everyone. Colette's own mother, even, hadn't been safe from their grasp...

"We covered that in class last time, remember? When the seal weakens, the Desians reappear, just like they have now."

Raine spoke out with the measured authority of someone who had taught this lesson a thousand times. While it hadn't actually been that many, she was familiar with the facts, and she didn't like them any more than anyone else did. Even if they weren't human, the Sages felt the pain of the community just as every other family in Iselia did when the Desians came. She believed the only reason that they hadn't been taken yet was because of their lineage. Raine wasn't sure if other elves existed in Sylvarant, but if word travelled about the Desians abducting Elves, she was sure that her kin would certainly have something to say about it...

"I... I knew that, I- I just forgot..."

Lloyd stuttered out, breaking the Professor from her reverie. She continued on, hoping to keep the spiky haired boys attention for once.

"Today is the day of prophecy. It is a very important day, on which the Chosen of Mana will receive an oracle from the Goddess Martel."

For once, the class sat silent, almost in awe, as she spoke. For once the children seemed to grasp the importance of the coming event. She turned to the Blonde girl who sat in the center of the class, her blue eyes shy, but her smile honest.

"Now, Chosen One... Colette."

The girl rose quickly as she was addressed, stammering out a quick response, and a happy smile.

"Yes, ma'am"

Her voice rang out like a chime in the classroom, and as soon as Lloyd had heard it, he smiled a little; at least inwardly, anyway. Something about Colette's voice, and her smile, just made him happy. Even though he couldn't see it, he knew she had a big, goofy grin plastered on her face, and it almost made him want to smile too, as though her mood was infectious... And maybe it was, but all Lloyd knew was that he never seemed to grow tired of hearing her speak, or spending time with her.

Raine spoke up again, continuing her narrative.

"Tell us about the journey of world regeneration."

And with that, Colette's smile was gone, replaced with a serious tone, as though the weight of her task was all too real in the classroom before them. Raine almost visibly flinched as the girl spoke this time, given it was so unlike her to break from her happy nature.

"It is a journey to seal the Desians. Upon passing the trials of the Goddess Martel, the Summon Spirits of the world who lie dormant awaken, and Mana is restored to the world."

It was almost a textbook answer, and the way she delivered it made her fear for the girl just a little. She would be in good hands, almost assuredly, but even so, Raine worried that the pressure might be too much for the poor girl to bear...

"Correct. I suppose we should expect the Chosen herself to know the answer to that one."

The joking manner with which Raine responded broke the ice a little and helped ease the tension. Lloyd looked just about ready to fall asleep again, which could only be expected. That boy had the attention span of a flea. Mentally sighing to herself, she focused her attention back on the rest of the class, and continued her long-winded explanation.

"Mana depletion is the cause of the current food shortages and droughts. It is said that this occurs because Desians consume vast amounts of mana in their human ranches."

Colette closed her eyes briefly as the Professor began to speak again. Her nerves were wearing on her today. Truth be told, she was anxious beyond belief, but she didn't want anyone to worry about it. Today was one of the biggest days of her life... She was to receive the oracle, the greatest possible blessing that the Goddess Martel could bestow. It meant that she would become more than just The Chosen in name. She would begin the journey of world regeneration... It wore on her terribly, but what bothered her the most was that she'd have to say goodbye to almost everyone she knew... And she especially regretted the pending farewell she would have to give to one certain boy who stood with his eyes closed in the back corner of the room.

She turned and smiled briefly at Lloyd, admiring his rough cut, rugged features. He was her best friend, and, if she was honest with herself, she knew that she secretly longed for him to be so much more... But that was a silly dream of some other girl. Colette wasn't as lucky as her peers, who would grow up, courting boys, getting married and starting families of their own... For Colette, only pain lay ahead, on the long road that would lead her all over Sylvarant... and eventually...

She was startled for a second as Lloyd opened his eyes and caught her peeking. He smiled back, and she gave an almost imperceptible half-nod, before turning and sitting down, as Raine continued.

"The Chosen's journey has two purposes -- to revive mana as well as defeat the Desians."

She summarized the lesson well, hoping that Lloyd was paying attention, but by the goofy grin he wore, and with the way Colette had just settled herself in her chair, she had her doubts. She rued teenage hormones, but she also felt bad for the poor children. If anyone deserved someone to care about her, it was probably Colette... That poor girl was faced with an almost insurmountable task. It wasn't as though she wasn't well liked, but aside from Lloyd and Genis being her friends, and her family, Colette was pretty much alone...

Sixteen short years... That would be but a blink compared to the time that Raine would live, and yet she knew that even for those with such limited time, it was barely enough to even begin to know yourself... Colette would face her end without likely ever knowing true love, without the joy of being a mother, without knowing the touch of a man... All the things that made being mortal worth living... and she was deprived of them. Raine almost felt like breaking down inside at the thought of the sorrow that this girl would have to face, but thankfully she wasn't one to be overcome by her emotions. She needed to get her thoughts off of the issue, and she knew she'd been too deep in thought as time had gone on; some of the students were almost beginning to look a bit worried about her. She returned to her stalwart self, hiding her empathy for Colette under her well-versed exterior.

"Now... For the next question-"

A blinding light interrupted her mid-speech, shining in through the window.

"What was that...?"

Lloyd's voice asked in quiet surprise, as he stared out the window to the source of the light; the Iselia Chapel, which lay just outside of the village.

"That's..."

Colette knew what the signal meant, but before she could say anything more, Raine spoke out with authority, calming the situation.

"Settle down. It would seem that the time for the oracle has come."

The professor sighed inwardly at what was to come next. As much as she knew it was her duty, she hated leaving the students to their own devices while unsupervised. No one other than Genis would actually use the time to study... But it couldn't be helped.

"I will go and check on the chapel. Everyone, stay here and study on your own. Understood?"

With that, she started to run out of the class. The sooner she got there and back, the less time would be wasted.

However, Colette's voice rang out before she could leave, the blonde almost shouting in anticipation as she stood up, struggling to keep her balance after such a sharp change in position.

"Professor, wait! I'll come with you!"

It was with a tone wizened by years of experience that she spoke next. Better that the priests assigned to guard her show up and escort her, then she wind up victim to the monsters roaming outside with no one but Raine to help her. The lithe elf could certainly take care of herself, but as for Colette, well... she wasn't sure that she'd be able to protect her on her own.

"No, Colette. If it is the oracle, the priests will come here for you. Wait here with everyone else."

And with that she was gone, only barely hearing the mumbled "Yes, ma'am" from Colette as she rounded the corner and ran off towards the chapel.

Lloyd heaved a sigh of relief and put the heavy buckets down. Truth be told, they weren't really so heavy. He got punished enough for slacking that even if they were, he'd had no trouble lifting them now. Even if he didn't have an exsphere, he was sure that he'd manage the feat without any trouble. Stretching a bit, he took a few tentative steps forward towards Genis, who stood, surprisingly, by the window, staring off towards the chapel. As he stepped forward, he gave a bit of a wave, trying to look cool for Colette, who still sat over at her desk. Genis smiled a bit and started talking, mentioning something about a cruxius crystal. Lloyd wasn't really paying attention though, so he didn't catch most of it.

"Yeah... sounds cool. Anyway, I'm gonna go see how Colette's doing."

Lloyd turned and began walking off towards the Blonde, not noticing his friend shrugging and giving a renowned shake of his head. Lloyd was pretty much one of the only humans Genis liked, but it didn't help that Lloyd kept blowing him off to spend time with Colette. It wasn't as though he couldn't understand why, though. The goofy smile, the strut in his gait, the way he always talked so well of her... Genis didn't feel he was nearly old enough to take an interest in the fairer sex, but he knew Lloyd was fairly smitten, and if he and Colette wanted to spend their days kissing and holding hands, then Genis wouldn't stop them... Well, at least as long as they invited him to a party or an outing every now and then. He was still Lloyd's best friend, after all. That said, Genis really wondered if Colette felt that way about Lloyd. They were close, sure, but she'd never really let on that she liked him in that way. Genis grimaced at the thought of him being rejected, but also chuckled at it a little on the inside. He could only begin to imagine what would happen if Lloyd asked her out and she refused him. He'd be down in the dumps for a week, at least. The elf boy let out a bit of a chuckle as he pictured the awkward situation that would result, but he knew too well that they were all too close of friends to let unrequited love come between them. He heaved a bit of a sigh, and smiled as he saw the two chatting animatedly over by Colette's desk. He was glad he could call them his friends.

"That light was so pretty!"

Lloyd lit up inside as he heard Colette's sing-song voice once more, relishing the sound.

"Yeah, it was really something, wasn't it? I wonder what's going on at the chapel..."

Lloyd was visibly excited, almost jittering in anticipation. Colette smiled, but truthfully she wanted to shake her head. Lloyd was always like this. He'd get so worked up about something, and then lose all interest half-way through. She thought it was cute, in an endearing way, but she'd learned over the years not to take him too seriously. She was a bit sad that she'd been left behind, but she knew that the Professor was probably right. It wasn't safe for her to wander outside the village without someone to protect her... The fate of the world resided squarely on her shoulders, after all... she almost laughed bitterly at the thought.

'The fate of the entire world depends on me, and I'm stuck here worried senseless that a couple of overgrown bugs or a stray wolf might be the end of me... some Chosen I am...'

She looked up just in time to see Lloyd waiting at the doorway, with a wide smile that just seemed to scream "Let's go!" stuck to his face. It was about then that Genis noticed, too, and decided to pipe in, as he ran over to tell off his friend.

"Lloyd! Where are you going? Don't tell me you're sneaking out! Raine will get mad!"

To his credit, Colette thought Lloyd answered the question quite handily, although he could've done with a bit more tact, considering she was still in earshot. It was nice to be thought about, but what if she didn't want people knowing about what really happened at the chapel?

"I'm really curious to find out what really happens to Colette when she receives the oracle. They always talk about the Chosen of Regeneration and the Day of Prophecy, but no one tells us what really happens."

Genis was indignant about Lloyd's line of reasoning, repeating his warning.

"But my sister said to stay here and study by ourselves."

Colette hated to see the two of them arguing, even if neither of them were really serious about it. They were both her friends, and she wanted everything to work out right between them. Thankfully Lloyd seemed to know just what to say to smooth things over.

"It's research."

Genis was visibly mad, but Colette could tell he was interested now, and so could Lloyd, even as he shouted his response.

"That's just an excuse!"

It didn't take much more for Lloyd to win him over after that.

"So, an excuse is an excuse, right? Don't be so stuffy. You're coming too, right? We're best friends, after all."

Colette smiled at that, seeing the blood start to leave Genis' cheeks as he was called a friend. Lloyd really knew how to push his buttons. However, she wasn't expecting Lloyd's next remark.

"Colette, you want to come along, too?"

She opened her eyes a bit, somewhat shocked. She had thought before that he'd meant to pull her aside somewhere private and talk... Maybe he did, at first, but now, it was an offer to join the two of them on a trip to the chapel. They were her friends, so she could hardly just say no. Besides, she wanted to know what was going on, too. The excitement was killing her, although she really didn't want to show it. She tried to make her reply sound as indifferent as possible.

"Huh? Um, okay."

She slowly stood up and walked over to join the boys, her hands coming together to fiddle with one another as she smiled and asked what she already knew.

"So, where to?"

Lloyd grew a bit flustered as he heard her question. How could she not know where they were headed? Was she playing games with him?

"Where else?! That light! You're directly involved in all of this... Aren't you curious?"

Of course she was curious, but Lloyd didn't know that... He didn't know she'd stayed up almost all last night both wondering and dreading what might happen in the chapel. And he didn't need to know...

"Hmm... are you curious about it?"

She asked, feigning stupidity to make things easy. Maybe it was because she was a blonde that everyone bought the act so easily... Or maybe it was just because she felt things went easier this way. She was no genius, but she didn't need to let the rest of the world bear her problems. She could deal with them on her own.

"Of course!"

Lloyd's response was almost a shout, drawing odd looks from the rest of the students who overheard. The brown-haired boy from the window glared at Lloyd, and made an "L" on his forehead with his finger and thumb as a way of showing his displeasure. It would've been funny, if he hadn't used the wrong hand.

Colette smiled a bit, honestly, this time, and looked back to Lloyd, giving him an answer.

"Okay. then I'll be curious about it, too."

Lloyd perked up at that, smiling as the numbers turned on Genis. Although Genis had already decided he was coming along anyway. It was fun watching Lloyd be goofy sometimes. Especially when he started quoting Dwarven Vows.

"See? Dwarven Vow #4: Don't depend on others. Walk on your own two legs."

What exactly that added to the conversation, neither of his friends could discern, but his smile was broad as he announced to them both:

"Okay then! Let's go to the temple!"

Genis grew flustered, but he sighed in defeat.

"Not the Dwarven Vows again. You always use those when you need an excuse."

But Lloyd knew that he had won, and his smile was all the broader for it. Genis couldn't help but be won over by his charm, and his grumpy mood left him, replaced by a sense of new found importance and inclusion. Colette was happy regardless, if for no other reason than that she was able to spend her last birthday in Iselia with her friends...

And so, smiling in unison, if for nothing more than Lloyd's overbearing personality and charisma, the trio departed the classroom, heading into the town, and down the path that marked the beginning of their journey to regenerate the world.

CH. I END

A/N: This took hours to write, and I'm only through the first scene. D8

Ahem. Anyway, sorry for the dreadfully slow start, but the basic idea is that I'm writing out the entire story, and filling in the blanks that the animation and the dialogue, and really, well, the rating, kind of screwed the pooch on. There may or may not be lemony or limey or vanilla-y goodness yet to come, as it all remains dependant on whether or not I can make it work and not be cliché as all hell. I know this is an "Adult" fan fiction, but I'm also trying to expand on some of the darker aspects of the story, too.

As for an update schedule, well, basically, I'll be writing from save point to save point in the game, and posting up chapters as I feel I've gathered enough material for them. I won't be writing about every battle my party encounters, but I will include a few here and there for flavor, and of course, all the boss fights. (WHICH WILL BE SIGNIFICANTLY SHORTENED BECAUSE NO ONE WANTS TO READ 20 PAGES OF FIGHTING ABYSSION ASKKSJIAOIHGTHDgBDKGB *explodes*)

Critiques are always appreciated, and I hope everyone who reads it enjoys the storyline, and that it doesn't get too convoluted. I also hope my expansions on the dialogue aren't too out of character, and that I'm not turning Colette into a Mary-Sue/Angsty Every-Bitch the 3rd.
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Tales of Symphonia: The Chosen's Path