Chapter 1 - Sylvarant, Act One

Part One: Sylvarant



Disclaimers: Because this fanfiction is purposely an amalgation of more anime concepts than you could shake a stick at, trying to list where every single reference comes from would take as much room as this entire fanfic (and this fanfic's pretty big). Therefore, for the disclaimers, I will simply list the series I used for that particular chapter. I.e., for this chapter, Demon Diary and Tales of Symphonia.

Astri, however, is MINE.



Part One, Act One

The house was a beautiful work of architecture beneath the moonlit sky. Set on the outskirts of the richest part of town, it combined geometric latticework and ornate pillars into a building that a visitor from Earth might recognize as part ancient Greek, part traditional Japanese. It was a style all this world's own.

Normally at this time, the windows would be awash with light as rowdy parties just got into their flow, as though the night air intoxicated them to reach ever greater heights of merriment. But tonight there were no lights, and no party, because not one of the owners of the house remained alive.

The noises from the surrounding houses covered the sounds of his footsteps as he ran towards the house. It must have been, what, at least a few hours since the killing spree of the seemingly innocent young girl named Lilith. She was long gone, for sure. But for now, she was not his concern.

He tried to open the door, but it was locked, probably locked behind Monika when he had entered. The lord of the house had had no intention of letting him leave alive that day. Now the lord himself lay dead. But Monika? There was only one way to find out. He kicked the door off its hinges.

This noise could not be masked by the surrounding houses. Curious exclamations came from all sides, quickly turning to astonishment, then horror. Somebody shouted for guards. He ignored the voices. One way or another, he'd be gone before anybody could do anything.

The stench of death rolled out of the open door. Blood was splashed over the door, the walls, the floor, some of it dried, but some still wet and shiny in the faint moonlight. The sight of it, to say nothing of the smell, caused his gorge to rise. He'd never actually seen death before, particularly not as brutal as this. The lord's guards lay murdered on the floor, the hearts of each ripped from their chests and thrown back carelessly into their laps. The idea that a single girl, any girl, could have done something this horrible was mindboggling.

But the guards were beyond help, and even if they weren't, he would have left them to die anyways. Their deaths were cruel, but at least they were just, considering what they and their lord had done. He tried to ignore them, running through the room as quickly as he could with his eyes fixed on the door ahead.

This one was also locked. He kicked it, but it was sturdier than the front door (oddly enough) and did not break. The noises from outside were getting louder. Time was short.

He closed his eyes and thought of what had just transpired in the last—how long must it have been?—day or two. Monika, an ordinary, good-hearted kid, had seen Lilith being sold to the lord of this house. He had followed her here and tried to get her released, knowing the reputation of the lord. He was ridiculed, beaten, and finally offered a deal—her freedom for a Crystal Heart.

Enough narration. His blood started to boil. Monika'd gone home and told the boy he shared his house with, Mano, about the deal. Mano had made the ultimate sacrifice, giving Monika the Crystal Heart—his heart, crystallized by his love for Monika. Monika had brought it here. And Lilith had seized it, showed her true colors as the demon she really was, and abandoned the house and the city to search for more hearts, leaving everyone in the house for dead.

The double betrayal of Monika—and of Mano, who was definitely beyond help—sent adrenaline blasting into his veins. He kicked the door with all the fury he had, and its hinges shattered, sending it weewawing crazily from its lock. The lock snapped, and the door crashed to the floor.

“Monika!!” he shouted, more to reassure himself than in hopes of an answer.

There were no lights, but the latticework topping the walls let in a few beams of moonlight. The barest glow illuminated the body of the lord, a dark shape off to the side. There were two footprints in the blood that had sprayed from his chest when Lilith had ripped out his heart—a girl's shoes, small and delicate.

But over to the side, leaning against the wall, was a boy, tall and very skinny from lack of food due to the famine. Black hair fell over a delicate, blood-streaked face. His chest…

Whole.

The bloodstreaks on the wall told the story. Lilith had grabbed Monika and thrown him against the wall with literally demonic strength. For some reason—either she had thought he was dead, or perhaps she was feeling maganimous after taking the Heart, or perhaps she was just feeling lazy—she hadn't finished the job.

In the faint light, it was impossible to tell if Monika was still breathing. He ran over to him, practically collapsed onto the floor next to him, and put his head over his heart. It was as faint as the moonlight, but his heart was still beating.

He was alive.

The noises from outside were growing louder. Time was up—it was time to leave. But where? And could he take Monika with him?
He'd be able to. Where to go was the more urgent question. Where were there doctors who could rescue Monika from the brink of death? Doctors he would trust?

Then the answer came to him. He dug into his pocket, wrapping his other arm firmly around Monika's thin shoulders, and pulled out an ordinary penny. He flipped it into the air.

“Sylvarant,” he said.

The penny hit the ground, and sank through it as though through water. He and Monika followed it.

The sand in front of the Triet inn suddenly rippled like water. Genis, running over it towards the inn, tripped and fell.

“What did I tell you?!” his sister Raine demanded, running after him. “You're—huh?”

The sand parted like waves. Colette screamed.

He and Monika were spat out onto the hot golden sands of the Sylvarant town of Triet.

He looked around for Raine. She was frozen where she stood, her mouth agape, unable to speak.

“Raine, Colette! Please, we need help!”

*~*~*~*~*~

“He'll live,” Raine said a few hours later. A few frantic, medic-filled hours later, in which Raine, Kratos, and Genis had done everything they could to ensure that Monika would eventually regain consciousness. Colette had been fluttering around, literally, thanks to her brand-new angel wings, trying to help and just getting in everyone's way, but nobody had the heart or the time to tell her to stop it.

The boy who had brought Monika here was sitting in a chair between Raine and Genis, while Colette fluttered and Lloyd and Kratos stood, watching. He was tall, though not as tall as Kratos and perhaps not quite as tall as Monika, and skinny, though again not as skinny as Monika. His brown hair was longer than Raine's, but shorter than Colette's, and his eyes, though tired and concerned, were sharp behind his glasses. He was wearing a light grey shirt with an otter holding a sea urchin on the front, black jeans, and worn black shoes. There was a forest-green sweatshirt tied around his shoulders, and a silver ring on a chain around his neck.

Raine leaned back in her chair and yawned. Spellcasting could take it out of you. She ran a hand through her shoulder-length, sky-blue hair and fixed a stern glance on the boy next to her. She was good at stern glances. She was a teacher. “All right. Now that that urgent matter's out of the way, who are you and who is he?”
“My name's…” He paused. “Astri. I'm a…literally, I'm a traveler. From another world.” He looked at Monika. “His name's Monika. He's from another world too, but he was left for dead by a girl who stole something…very important from him. I saved—well, I found him, and I brought him here, because I knew you could help him.”

“I'm flattered you think so much of my skills,” Raine said. “But how do you know of me? Have you traveled here before? I know I've never seen you. I'd remember.”

“No, you've never seen me.” This was a difficult question to answer. “Um…where I come from, the world where I come from, there are…like, stories about all of you. There's a huge story about the Chosen's journey, called Tales of Symphonia, and I pl…from that, I know about you.”

“There's a story about us?” Lloyd blinked. “Cool.”

“Hold on.” Kratos fixed Astri with a stare. Combined with Raine's glance, it felt like being stuck on pins. “You say there's a story about our journey.”

“Yeah.”

“But we have only just started our journey. How can there be a story about it if it is not completed?”

“Well…” Astri hedged. “There are these people in my world. They're kind of like…you know what seers are?”
Raine, Genis, and Kratos nodded. Lloyd and Colette shook their heads.

“They see the future. And you see, there are people in my world who can see the futures of other worlds, and they make stories out of them.”

“So you know our future?!” Lloyd jumped forward. “That's awesome!! Tell us what's going to happen!”

“Actually…I can't. I only got to this part in the story before I came here. I know everything that's happened from when you first left Iselia to go to Martel's Temple, to now, but I don't really know what happens next.” A white lie. A very small white lie. At least, that's what he told himself. “Oh, and only what happened to Lloyd. The story follows Lloyd. So when Colette, Raine, and Kratos left without Lloyd, I know what happened to Lloyd, but not what happened to them.”

Raine frowned, but it was a curious frown, not a suspicious one. “You say you travel between worlds. How do you do this?”

“With this.” Astri dug the penny out of his pocket again and held it out to Raine. Raine looked at it.

“You can take it. You can flip it, throw it, do whatever you want. I don't think it works for anybody except me.”

Raine took it gingerly and turned it over. “Very interesting!” Her eyes began to glow. “It seems to be a primarily zinc-copper alloy, pressed into this shape. This man on the front—who is it? Is this some kind of amulet?”

“No, it's not an amulet. It's a penny. It's the smallest unit of currency my world has.”

“Marvelous! Here we use Gald.” Raine continued to turn the penny over. “What is this building? These words—United States of America? E Pluribus Unum? One Cent? Is this a spell?”

“No,” Astri said, fighting back the urge to laugh. “The United States of America is where I come from. Not my world. My world's called Earth. The United States is the country I live in.”

“You come from another world?” Colette clasped her hands together. “How exciting!”
Raine, Genis, Lloyd, and Astri all face-faulted.

“He already said that, Colette,” Genis said.

“Oh.” She paused. “Well, it still sounds very exciting! What's it like there?”

“I want to know how this works!” Raine tapped the penny. “Does everyone in the United States have one of these?”

“Well, everybody probably has a penny, but I think I'm…er…probably the only one with one that lets me world-travel,” Astri admitted. “And I'm not entirely sure how it works. I flip it into the air and say the name of the world I want to go to, and I go.”

“These are not common?” Raine held it up to her eye. “Your people do not often world-travel?”

“Not at all.” Astri reflected for a moment. “I guess I did it myself, but not really myself. I…it's kind of weird. There's a tradition in our world, that if you throw a penny into a fountain, then make a wish, your wish will come true.”

“So you threw the penny into a fountain and wished to go to other worlds?” Genis demanded.

“Yeah, but that wasn't all. I made a huge production out of this. I wrote out this huge long spell, asking for power from Hecate, Selene, and Artemis—three goddesses in our world,” Astri added, because everyone except for Kratos was looking blank. “Then I translated the whole thing into Greek, because I didn't think they'd understand English. So I recited the spell in front of the fountain at the mall, threw in the penny, and wished for magic. And the penny hit the water and floated down to the bottom—and nothing happened. I was really depressed, and all ready to leave, and suddenly something wet plunked into my pocket, and there was the penny, back in my pocket again.”

“So it always comes back to you?” Genis shook his head. “Cool. Weird, but cool.”

“Now I just flip it, and it makes the ground ripple and I fall through into somewhere else,” Astri said. “I think the rippling thing has to do with the fact that I threw it into a fountain.”

“Marvelous,” Raine breathed. “I wonder if I could make one as well…what was the spell you cast?”

“I'm sorry, I don't remember it. It was really long and flowery, and the Greek was just plain weird.”

“Oh,” Raine said, visibly deflating. “Well…maybe I could substitute a supplication to Martel instead…”

“This is fascinating,” Kratos broke in. “However, I have to ask—why are you here?”

“I told you. Monika was going to die, and I needed help, so—”

“No. Why did you go to Monika's world in the first place?”

Astri looked blank. “Why?”

“Yes, why. Worlds have their own fate. Their own destiny. It is not for you to interfere in the lives of others from other worlds.”

He touched a nerve. Astri stood up so fast he knocked his chair over and almost hit Lloyd.

“I hate people who say that! I don't care what kind of destiny he's supposed to have! His best friend gave him his heart, to save a girl who turned out to be a demon who stole the heart and left him for dead! I'm not letting him die with something like that! And after he recovers, I'm going after Lilith and I'm going to kill her, and take back the heart she stole!”

Kratos shook his head. “Even with our healing, he might still die. If that is his fate, you won't be able to change it.”

“That doesn't mean I can't try!”
“Kratos,” Colette said quietly. “Maybe…maybe his destiny is to be saved by Mr. Astri. Maybe this is his destiny, and we're actually not changing anything.”

“Or maybe all this destiny talk is baloney,” Lloyd said. “I know I don't believe in destiny.”

“You have no idea what you're talking about, boy.”

“Oh, like you do?!” Astri snapped.

“You don't even understand the source of your power, let alone what you can and can't do with it.”

“At least I got it! Unlike you! You abandoned—”

“ENOUGH!!” Genis roared, cutting everybody off. “You're all acting like idiots! Get out and let Raine and me take care of this guy!”

“Can I stay and help?” Colette asked hopefully.

“Uh…” Raine and Genis exchanged looks.

“No,” Raine said. “He's out of danger for now, Colette. Although I…appreciate your help, he just needs to be watched for now. Go out, explore Triet, have some fun. Maybe we can switch later.”

“Okay,” Colette said. She turned to Astri, Lloyd, and Kratos, her smile as bright as her wings. “Let's go look around!”

“Uh, Colette?” Lloyd asked.

“Yes, Lloyd?”

“Your wings…”

“Oh.” Colette craned her head over her shoulder to look at them. “I guess I'd better put them away, huh?”

“Yeah…”

“Okay.”

* * *

“What a huge place!” Colette exclaimed, staring around Triet with the wide-eyed innocence of a newborn puppy. “It's so much bigger than Iselia!”

“That's not a surprise,” Kratos said. “Triet is the largest city on this continent.”

“It's so beautiful!” Colette sighed.

“It's so hot,” Lloyd muttered.

Being a desert town, Triet was indeed very hot. And Lloyd, dressed in full-length red and brown, was probably the hottest of them all.

“I'm assuming you will be staying here in Sylvarant for a little while,” Kratos said.

“Yes, I will,” Astri said acidly.

“I'd suggest buying less…noticeable clothes. What you are wearing now will draw far too much attention.”

Astri looked around and counted seven people who were staring at him, then hastily turned their attention somewhere else when he looked their way. Marginally less acidly, he said, “I guess that would be a good idea.”

“Do you have any money?” Colette asked.

“Not Gald. Just some dollars and change.”

“Dollars and…?”

“No, not really.”

“Well, we do,” Colette said proudly.

“That's…great.”

“We'll lend you some!”

“Oh.” Astri smiled and flushed. “You don't have to…”

“No! You need new clothes, Mr. Astri, and we get lots of money as we go anyways.”

“Okay. Thank you, very much. And…Colette, please don't call me Mr. Astri. It sounds weird. Astri works fine.”

“All right, Astri!” Colette smiled in that special way she had. “Mr. Kratos, where can we get clothes?”

Kratos sighed. “That building you fell through the first time we visited Triet sold clothes, Colette.”

Astri let out a shout of laughter that made people jump. “Oh, God! That's right! You fell through that wall!”

Colette went brick red. “It…was an accident…”

“It was brilliant! I almost died laughing when I saw that hole!” Astri looked around. “Oh my God! There it is!!!” He was laughing so hard he fell onto the ground, paralyzed by hysterics.

Colette covered her face. “Oh, stop it!”

Astri's laughter was infectious. Lloyd started laughing as well, and Colette's giggle soon joined them both. Even Kratos allowed himself a smile.

“Did you know they're going to make it Triet's tourist spot?” Astri gasped.

“They're what?!” Colette squeaked. “No…no they're not!”

“Yeah, they are, actually,” Lloyd admitted through his laughter.

“But I fell through it!”

“Exactly. They said…they said…” Astri couldn't breathe for laughing, “they said that it was the most perfect shape of the Chosen they could possibly get…BWAHAHAHA!!!”

“Enough,” Kratos said, although he was still smiling. “We're beginning to scare people. Let's move on.”

“All right…”

* * *

“No armor,” Astri said flatly. “I'm too skinny. It'll overwhelm me.”

Kratos shrugged irritatedly. “Make up your own mind, then.”

“I was doing that when you put your two cents in. Why don't you and Lloyd go away and look at swords or something? Colette and I will handle this ourselves.”

Colette pulled out a pair of bunny ears. “Oh, look at these! They're so cute!”

“Well, okay. I'll handle this by myself.”

“Works for me.” Lloyd suppressed a yawn. “Clothes…is there anything more boring in the world?”

“Cars.”

“What?”

“Wretched invention in my world. Some people will stare at them for hours. But trust me, they're about as interesting as a grain of sand in the desert.”

“And people stare at them?” Lloyd shook his head. “There are weird people in your world, Astri.”

“You have no idea.”

* * *

“Lloyd! Mr. Kratos! We're done!” Colette came running out of the store, bubbling all over with excitement, swinging the bag with Astri's old clothes in it so enthusiastically that she almost concussed an old man who had the misfortune to be within range.

Lloyd held up two wooden rings wrapped in leather. “Look, Colette! This guy customized this out of your old chakrams!”

“Oh, wonderful!” Colette didn't even look at the rings. “Look! This is better, right?”

Astri was with her, the slightest red in his cheeks. He was wearing a zipped-up black shirt with a design of hanging blue crystals across the front, a forest-green jacket with a multitude of pockets, and belted black pants with three belts around his upper left leg, and three others around his lower right leg. He had low black belted boots with one-third-inch heels, protective silver wrist bracers, and his necklace with the ring on it. Perhaps most noticeably, Colette had tied his hair back at the nape of his neck, leaving his bangs and a few side-locks artfully free. It was obviously Colette who had done it, because the tie holding his hair back was purple. A definite Colette-touch.

Lloyd gave Astri a cursory look. “Yeah, I guess.”

Astri, noticing Kratos giving him a once-over, glared defiantly at him. “The glasses and the necklace stay.”

“The glasses I don't care about. The necklace, however, is obviously foreign.”

“I want to try something out with this necklace. It's not going anywhere.”

Kratos groaned. The sun was giving him a headache. “Do what you want. At least you no longer stand out so much.”

“It's kinda weird that this is less bizarre than what I was wearing before,” Astri muttered.

“You look great!” Colette praised. “Doesn't he, Lloyd?”

Lloyd swallowed back his first response, since it was Colette he was talking to, and settled for muttering again, “Yeah, I guess.”

Lloyd's lack of enthusiasm didn't even penetrate Colette's happy pride in having done something right. She led the way back to the inn, chattering happily about color and fabric and bunny ears and real bunnies and didn't that cloud look like a bunny and there was a mean bunny she and Raine had run into going to Triet and speaking of mean wasn't that guy Botta just so mean and that reminded her…

* * *

Genis met them at the door. “He's recovered consciousness.”

Astri lunged forward. “Really?!”

Genis paused. “Who are you?”

Astri ran up the stairs to Raine's room and slammed inside.

“Wow, he looks different,” Genis said.

Colette beamed. “I put his hair up.”

* * *

“You're conscious!” Astri expostulated, then winced and covered his mouth. “I'm sorry, I shouldn't have shouted.”

“Wha…wha…” Monika's voice was dry and faint. “Wha….happnt?”

“He's only just become conscious,” Raine said quietly. “I sent Genis to find you and tell you. But he's still very disoriented. Not a surprise, considering he's in another world now.”

Monika just managed to turn his head to see Raine. “Wha…?”

“Monika,” Raine said, softly but clearly. “You can hear me? You can understand me?”

The barest nod in reply.

“You are in another world, called Sylvarant, in a desert city called Triet. My name is Raine.” She pulled Astri forward. “This is Astri. He brought you here from your world to save your life.”

Astri flushed.

“World?” Monika coughed. “What—”

“Water,” Raine said. “I'll go get some water. Explain it to him. You know what's going on better than I do.”

She got up and left the room.

Astri hesitated, then sat down where Raine had been and swallowed. “You're okay. I'm…so glad. I thought she—Lilith—had killed you.”

“Li…lith?”

“Lilith. The girl who stole Mano's Crystal Heart from you?”

Monika shook his head vaguely. “What?”

“Lilith? Mano? Crystal Hea—” Astri stopped, and his hands flew to his mouth. “Oh my God. No.”

“What?” Monika looked up at Astri, true, pure confusion in his eyes. “Who's Mano?”

The blow to the head.

You can't change destiny.

Who's Mano?

Oh God, no.

Astri burst into tears.

* * *

“He has amnesia?” Genis demanded.

Astri nodded miserably, the front of his new shirt stained with tears. “He…doesn't remember anything about his world. About Mano—his friend, who died for him. Or about Lilith, the girl who almost…killed him…”

With sudden, terrifying violence, Astri whirled around and kicked the wall with all his strength. Genis and Colette jumped.

“Whoa! Calm down!” Lloyd entreated. “Don't break down the wall!”

“It's not fair!!” Astri yelled, ignoring the stares other inn guests were giving him. “Why do the bad guys always get the breaks like this?! The good guys lose everything trying to do the right thing! I hate this! I wish she was dead!! Her, and him too!!!”

“What, Monika?” Genis asked, surprised.

“No, somebody else,” Astri gritted out between his teeth. “This…it…it's not fair!! All this time…all the people trying to do good…and these…those…that…”

Vocabulary inadequate to finish his sentence, Astri settled for kicking the wall again. The whole inn shook.

“I—” Kratos began, but Astri whirled on him.

“Say I told you so and I will rip out your vocal cords and force feed them to you! Even if destiny is against me, I will get her for this! She stole Mano's heart and then she stole the memory of him from Monika! She needs to die!!”

“I don't think that was destiny,” Kratos said quietly. “I think Monika's amnesia is a result of your trying to mess around with his world.”

Astri stared at Kratos open-mouthed for a full fifteen seconds.

“WHAT?”

“I suppose in a way you could call it destiny,” Kratos corrected himself. “But it's not destiny, as in what's supposed to happen. It's Destiny, stopping you from changing it.”

“You…I…what?!”

“You're screwing other people up with your crusading,” Kratos said bluntly. “You should stop before somebody dies because of it.”

Astri stared at Kratos in furious disbelief. “I can't believe what you're telling me. You're saying I should let her get away?!”

“This Lilith is under the authority of whatever world she's in,” Kratos said. “Just the way Colette is under the authority of this world, and you're under the authority of your own world. You're trying to interfere in things that don't concern you, and the more you mess around, the more you're going to hurt people.”

Astri grabbed Colette's chakram and threw it at Kratos as hard as he could. Colette screamed, and Lloyd leapt forward, but Kratos moved just out of the way, and the chakram slammed into the wall behind him.

“You can attack me as much as you want,” Kratos said. “It doesn't change the fact that you're—”

“SHUT UP!!!”

Astri ran out of the inn, slamming the door behind him.

“Smooth, Kratos!” Lloyd said sarcastically.

“Yeah, you're a real mediator,” Genis snapped.

“The more he tries to change things, the worse they're going to become,” Kratos said, unruffled despite the chakram embedded behind him. “If he tries to interfere here, he will have to go back to his own world, either by choice or by force.”

“Mr. Kratos—” Colette began, but Kratos cut her off.

“The journey of regeneration is far more important than his fantasies of heroism. I admire that he saved the other boy from death, but he can't continue to do this. It's none of his business.”

“But, Mr. Kratos—” Colette began.

“You couldn't have told him that?” Genis shook his head in disgust. “Maybe then you wouldn't have set him off like that! You made it sound like it was bad that he did what he did!”

“It was,” Kratos said.

“NO!!!” Colette shouted.

Everybody, even Kratos, jumped. Colette had her hands balled into fists up by her collar, and her shining, sparkling wings had come out on their own, causing the innkeeper to stare. Her long blonde hair practically crackled with electricity—her blue eyes were burning with determination.

“No!” Colette repeated. “He saved Monika's life! That was a good thing! I know it was! The amnesia, it's the bad girl's fault! She did this to him! Astri is doing good! I know he is, and it's not his fault!”

“C—Colette—” Lloyd began, but this time Colette cut him off.

“I know you're more experienced than we are, Mr. Kratos, but you're wrong this time! You have to be! Otherwise I shouldn't be trying to regenerate the world, I should just be leaving it alone to do as it will! And that's not right—so, so, neither is Astri letting Lilith kill people!”

It was impossible to argue with Colette. Even if you tried, she just wouldn't listen to anything that went against her mindset. Despite the short amount of time Kratos had known her, he had already figured out how stubborn she was.

He ran his hand through his unruly red hair. “…Maybe.”

Colette smiled and clasped her hands, righteous anger turned to joyous optimism. “Dwarven Vow #7—Justice and Love Will Always Win.”

Lloyd groaned. “Please, Colette…stop saying that…”

“It's true! And I'm sure it's just as true for Mr. Astri as it is for us!”

This time Kratos joined in with Lloyd's sigh. “Maybe so…”

* * *

Night fell, and Astri still did not return to the inn. By the time the moon was visible from Lloyd's window, he and Colette were getting seriously worried.

“There might still be Desians in the area,” Lloyd muttered.

“I'm worried for him,” Colette said.

“You've been worried for the last hour,” Genis said, lounging on Lloyd's bed with one of Raine's books—Raine had kicked everybody out of her room while she saw to Monika. “If you're really so worried, why don't you go look for him?”

“Okay,” Colette said, heading purposefully for the door.

“Wait!” Lloyd grabbed Colette by the arm. “I'll go with you. It's dangerous for you to wander around alone.”

“She's turning into an angel, Lloyd,” Genis said. “I feel sorrier for anything that tries to attack her.”

“It's still not safe,” Lloyd said. “Besides, Kratos and the Professor'll jump down our throats if they know we let her go alone.”

Genis sighed. “Yeah, I guess…go ahead. Have fun.”

“Aren't you coming?”

“I'm busy.”

Lloyd rolled his eyes and led the way out of the room. Colette followed.

* * *

Astri wasn't outside the inn. He wasn't by the equipment shops, he wasn't near Noishe's paddock, and he wasn't around the Katz Exploration Team Booth.

All they found around the oasis was a dog.

“Oh!” Colette clapped her hands together. “Look Lloyd! A puppy-dog!”

Lloyd looked at it. “Yes, Colette, that is a dog.”

“This little cutie feels like Cammy! His tail is so cute!”

“His tail?”

“Aww…!” Colette scratched the dog behind the ears. “Look at his tail! Heeheehee! It's so cute!”

“Colette, I thought we were looking for Astri?”

“Oh yeah…”

* * *

After they searched the food store Desert Rose and the fortune-teller's tent, Lloyd was ready to give up. Astri had probably gone to another world and wasn't here anymore anyway. But Colette kept searching, and Lloyd couldn't just leave her to look on her own.

“Colette…” Lloyd finally said, somewhere around midnight.

“Yes, Lloyd?”

“I know you want to find him, but if we spend too much more time looking for him, then you won't get any sleep at all tonight.”

“Yes I will. It'll be okay, Lloyd. There's still about six hours of night left.”

“But Colette, it's important that you rest! Remember what Remiel said about the angel transformation you're going through? You have to take it easy for a while, eat more, rest more, you know…that kind of stuff!”

Colette reflected on this for a minute.

“Besides, he's not anywhere here in Triet. We've searched everywhere. Maybe he went back to his own world…or maybe he went back to the inn while we were searching over here.”

“That's true,” Colette conceded. “Maybe he did…”

She pondered for a moment more.

“You're right, Lloyd. We should probably go back…but let me just take one last look around.”

“Okay, but—”

Lloyd jumped back. Colette's wings had flashed back into existence, glowing like beautiful magenta flames in the moonlit shadows of the buildings. She flapped them once, experimentally, and accidentally blew up a cloud of dust into Lloyd's eyes. By the time he could see again, Colette was up in the air, conducting an aerial scan of Triet.

“Colette…” Lloyd muttered. “What are we going to do with you…”

Then Colette yelled, “LLOYD! I CAN SEE HIM!”

Lloyd jumped. “What?! Where?!”

“WHAT?”

“WHERE IS HE?!”

“OH. OUT THERE, ON A SAND DUNE!” Colette pointed.

Lloyd looked in the direction she was pointing, and now that he was looking, he could indeed see a vague silhouette on one of the sand dunes not far from Triet.

“That idiot!” Lloyd grumbled, racing towards the dune. Overhead, Colette flew ahead, then fluttered down for a landing.

* * *

Astri was staring out over the undulating sand dunes, thinking about everything and nothing, when Colette fell out of the sky and hit the sand next to him like a bomb. Sand exploded everywhere like shrapnel, clearing to reveal Colette stuck head-first in the dune.

“Mmph,” Colette said intelligently.

“Good God! Colette?!” Astri grabbed her by the arms and yanked, popping her out like a cork from a winebottle. “Are you okay?!”

Colette was covered in sand, and the force of her landing had driven grains across her face with enough force to break the skin, but despite her sandied, bloodied state, she still smiled as brightly as ever.

“Sorry. I'm still working on landings.” She brushed sand off her shoulders, then looked at Astri, her smile fading into seriousness. “This is kind of sudden, but Astri, I need to ask you something.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you know about the journey of regeneration? Do you know what's going to happen?”

“To the world? Or to you?”

“To me.”

Astri nodded. “Yeah.”

Colette sighed, then grabbed Astri's hand in both of hers. “Don't tell Lloyd or Genis. Please don't, okay? I don't want them to worry. It's okay. I'm okay with it.”

Astri grabbed Colette's hands with his other one. “No, I'm telling you it's okay. I won't tell Lloyd or Genis. But it's gonna be okay. The world'll be fine, and you won't have to die.”

Colette smiled, but it wasn't her usual smile. “Thanks, Astri, but…”

“No, really, I mean it.” Astri coughed. “I, um, wasn't totally honest with you about the story about you. I have gotten further than this. And I know it's gonna be okay.” He smiled. “Dwarven Vow #7, right?”
“Justice and Love Will Always Win,” Colette replied.

“Despite what pessimists like Kratos say.”

Colette's eyes began to burn with their determined fire again. “That's right. I think you're right too. I know you're doing good things, no matter what Kratos says. But…” The fire died down again, “I do think he is right, that you need to be careful with what you do. It's important that you make sure that you don't accidentally mess things up.”

Astri sighed. “I know he was trying to be helpful, but…”

“Hey!” Lloyd had finally made it to the sand dune. “What've you been doing out here this whole time?!”

Astri and Colette dropped each other's hands and turned to face him.

“Thinking,” Astri said.

“About what?” Then Lloyd noticed Colette's face. “Colette!!”

Colette jumped. “What?”

“Your face!”

Colette touched her face, and felt the blood seeping from a multitude of tiny sand-inflicted cuts. “Oops. It's because of my landing…”

“As soon as we get back, get Raine or Genis to look at those! You can't do things like that! If you get hurt, what'll the rest of us do?”

Colette giggled. “Okay. Thanks, Lloyd, for being concerned about me.”

“Yeah, well…somebody has to be.” He turned his attention back to Astri. “Thinking? All this time?”

“Pretty much,” Astri said.

“About what?”
Although Astri looked at first like he might not answer, he sighed and did. “About what I'm going to do now. I need to make a plan. Maybe Kratos is right and maybe he isn't, but I'm still going to try to correct some of the things that go wrong and never get fixed in other worlds. I have to. I don't know if Hecate, Selene, and Artemis actually gave me the power for this…”

Astri took the penny out of his new, black pocket and held it up.

“…but something did, and I think it wants me to fix things like Lilith and…other people. Otherwise, why give me this thing? I'm not the kind of person who can let things like Lilith slide. I can't go to worlds to sightsee and have fun while terrible things happen. So why would they give an interfering person this thing unless they wanted interference?”

“Yes! That's true!” Colette exclaimed.

Lloyd didn't look so convinced. “I guess, but…”

“Either way, though, I definitely need to figure out what I'm doing next before I start doing things,” Astri said. “Otherwise I'll be proving Kratos right. Which I'm not going to do.”

“So you've been out here on this sand dune for hours, thinking up a plan of action?”

Astri shrugged. “Kind of. I've been thinking about the things I really want to change, you know? And what I can do about them. Monika and Lilith are one of them. But there are other things, too. I haven't really figured out what to do, though. And besides…I'd like to go with you guys for a little while.”

Lloyd did a double-take. “What? With us?”

“Yeah. Change of scenery's always been the best way for me to get ideas. I'd say world-jumping is a pretty definite change of scenery. So, if it's okay with you and Colette, then I'd like to go a little ways with you.”

Colette clapped her hands. “Of course! We'd love to have you. Right, Lloyd?”

About this, Lloyd definitely wasn't convinced, but Colette was. Who was he to override her?

“Yeah,” he muttered. “I guess.”

* * *

“I don't like him,” Lloyd informed Genis when they came back to the inn.

Because Raine still refused to let anyone else in the room while she was making sure Monika didn't have some kind of relapse, the rooming arrangements had been rearranged. So Colette, Kratos, and Astri were sleeping in one room, and Genis and Lloyd were sleeping in another one.

“He's acting all heroic and everything,” Lloyd said, pacing the floor. “With his whole crusade with other worlds. And he's got Colette totally caught up in it. She totally believes everything he says.”

Genis sighed. He was almost done with Raine's book, and didn't really want to listen to Lloyd complain. “Isn't it possible that he actually believes everything he's saying?”

“What are you talking about? Nobody wants to spend their life fixing other people's.”
“Colette does.”

“Colette's special. She's the Chosen. She's an angel. She's…she's…well, she's Colette!”

“Don't you think that being given special powers by the gods of his world makes him kind of a Chosen as well?” Genis turned the page. “Except instead of a Chosen to save his world, a Chosen to save other people's worlds?”

“He's not saving worlds! He's trying to save…people!”

Genis groaned and threw aside the book. “You don't like him because he acts just like you do, and because Colette likes him. Admit it, Lloyd, you're jealous.”

“I am NOT!”

“You try to save people too,” Genis pointed out. “What about Marble?”

At this, Lloyd became very quiet.

“I only helped her for you,” he said finally.

“To you, she was just a person.” Genis felt a lump in his throat thinking about Marble, the old woman who had been transformed into a monster by the Desians and forced to attack the village of Iselia, but he swallowed it and pursued his advantage. “You just felt bad for her, because she was in trouble. You helped her because she was a good person who needed help. Is it really so hard for you to accept that Astri might be doing the same thing?”

Lloyd turned away. “Then why's he here now, instead of with Marble, when he could have helped us?”

“I don't think he controls when he goes, just where. He said he says where he wants to go, and he goes. He doesn't get to choose when.”

“He saved Monika.”

“I don't know, Lloyd!” Genis snapped, his patience at an end. “Go ask him!”

He snatched up his book and disappeared into the pages again. Lloyd stayed where he was, fighting to untangle his feelings about Astri's motives…but what Genis had said was sending streams of doubt through his idea that Astri was hero-mongering.

“Night, Genis,” Lloyd said at last.

“Good night, Lloyd.”

* * *

Ready to bolt in case Raine was as violent as she had been when Genis had tried to go into the room, Astri knocked lightly on Raine's door.

“Come in.”

No shouts, screams, death-threats, or objects traveling at high velocity. So far, so good. Astri opened the door and sidled in.

Raine was sitting in the same chair she'd been sitting in since yesterday, looking tired and wan but happy. The reason for her happiness was obvious. Monika was sitting up, the blood cleaned off his face, eating a bowl of soup with a speed never seen outside of anime.

Astri let out a long sigh of shaky relief. “He's okay?”

“He's fine,” Raine said. “It was pretty touch-and-go yesterday, and he almost had a relapse last night, but thanks to a little rest and a whole lot of magic, he's pretty much recovered.” She paused. “Well…”

“Except for his memory,” Astri mumured.

“Yes.”

Monika looked up from the soup bowl, which was now empty. “Hey, you're the kid who I saw yesterday when I woke up.”

“Yeah,” Astri said. “My name's…Astri.”

“Astri. Raine says you saved me from somewhere.” Raine took the empty bowl from him. “She also says I have amnesia because somebody threw me into a wall.”

Astri's insides clenched. “Yes. A girl named Lilith. She also stole your friend's heart from you.”

Monika paused. “What?”

“You had a friend…named Mano, who gave you his heart. Literally, took it out and gave it to you. It was crystallized—it was something called the Crystal Heart—and he died to give it to you—and Lilith stole it and left you for dead.”

This hurt. That he had to explain to Monika the sacrifice that had been made for him…things like dying for your friend's happiness shouldn't be forgotten. Astri took a deep breath and pushed his bangs out of his eyes.

“Damn,” Monika muttered. “She stole this thing from me?”

“Yeah.”

“Where is she?”

“She's still in your world,” Astri said, digging his nails into his palm to stop himself from crying again. “Somewhere. I couldn't go after her. I had to save you first.”

“What's my world?”

“I…” Astri stared at him. “You can't remember your world?”

“I didn't even remember my name until she told me,” Monika said, indicating Raine.

“He has complete amnesia,” Raine said. “I think it's partially concussion-related, and partially traumatic. He can't remember anything, about himself or anything about his life before coming here.”

Astri gaped. “You're kidding. Please tell me you're kidding.”

Raine shook her head. “No. But he is alive, and likely to remain that way.”

“Which I guess I have you to thank for,” Monika said. Then, somewhat awkwardly, “Thanks.”

“No,” Astri said. “Don't thank me yet.” His hands were coiling into fists. “I'm going to get your memory back. I'm going to get Lilith. And I'm going to get you back Mano's heart. Just wait. I'll fix this for you. Promise.”

* * *

“I wanted to ask all of you if Monika and I could travel with you for a little ways.”

Colette, Astri, and Kratos' room being the largest, they had all met in there, even Raine, after a little nagging. Monika was still in Raine's room, by himself, decimating a mountain of food that Genis and the innkeeper had prepared for him. He would be fine on his own for a little while, as Genis had to constantly remind Raine.

“I know I'm not part of the Chosen's guardians,” Astri continued. “I know I'm not even from this world. I know you definitely weren't expecting to have to deal with me and Monika after today. But I would like to try and help Colette a little, to pay you all back for helping us. Also, Monika doesn't remember anything about anything, and I'd like to be with strong people I can trust for now until Monika remembers basic things like the color of the sky. So, please. Let me—us—come with you, just to Palmacosta.”

“I'm not sure if Monika should be journeying just yet,” Raine said, her eyes flickering to the wall between this room and hers. “In fact, I'm not really sure if he should be—”

“He's fine, Raine,” Genis said.

“I think it's a good idea!” said, to nobody's surprise, Colette. “The more people we have with us, the safer we'll be, right?”

“Not necessarily,” Kratos said. “Having two otherworlders who know nothing about our world is far more likely to be a disadvantage than a protection. Can you fight?”

“Not really,” Astri admitted. “We don't much, on my world.”

“Can Monika?”

“He definitely shouldn't be fighting!” Raine exploded. “Not until he's recovered a great deal more!”

“He's fine, Raine,” Genis said.

“He used to be able to,” Astri said. “He used to be really good at martial arts. But…er…now that he has amnesia…I don't know.”

Kratos groaned. “Two helpless otherworlders tagging along on the journey of regeneration. You are the last thing we need. Why don't you go back to your own world until Monika recovers, where it's obviously safer for you?”

“Because if something happens and Monika relapses, then I don't know if I could find you guys again! It was the sheerest luck I came out in Triet right in front of you! That's why I want to go with you—if something happens, I know where you are!”

“Monika needs to be with somebody who knows how to heal!” Raine said. “Otherwise, who knows what could happen?! He could be suffering a relapse right now, and—”

“He's fine, Raine.”

“It's my duty as the Chosen to help all people,” Colette said. “That's why I'm trying to regenerate Sylvarant—to help people. Shouldn't I help them as well?”

Kratos rubbed his temple with his left hand and sighed. “If you want to help them, I suppose I can't dissuade you.”

“What do you think, Lloyd?” Colette asked, turning to him. “You agree with me, right?”

Lloyd groaned. “Yeah…I guess…”

“See? Lloyd thinks it's a good idea, too!”

“I second the notion,” Raine said. “And now, if that's decided, I'd better go check on—”

“HE'S FINE, RA—”

Raine smacked Genis and swept out of the room.

* * *

“It's okay with you, right? If we go with them for a while?”

Monika nodded. “Sure. They seem nice enough.”

Astri thought of Kratos. “Well…most of them are.”

“Hey, um…” Monika hesitated. “…This is trouble for you, isn't it?”

“What, you?” Astri shook his head. “Uh-uh. I hate Lilith. I was going to go after her anyways.”

“Why? Did she steal something from you?”

“No…” Astri started to flush. “It's just because of what she did to you.”

“So it is because of me.”

“Well, yeah…but don't worry about it. It's not like you're forcing me or anything. I want to help get people like Lilith. I hate them.”

Raine, having summarily vanquished poor, interfering Genis and left him comatose on the inn floor, suddenly slammed the door open. “HEY! Get outta here! I'm doing my last-minute checkup before we leave! Out! OUT!!”

Astri fled.

* * *

Colette was beside herself with joy. “Astri! Hey! Look what we found for Monika! Look! Look!”

Lloyd, the unwilling carthorse, was holding metal arm- and leg-bracers.

“You said Monika always fought with his fists before, so we got these for him, and also these!” Colette proudly held up a pair of brass knuckles. “I have no idea what they are, but the customizer said they were good for fist-fighters!”

“They're brass knuckles, Colette,” Lloyd said.

“Yeah, that's it!”

Astri bowed his head. “Thank you so much for buying all of this stuff for us. I'll make it up to you somehow. Promise.”

Lloyd rolled his eyes.

* * *

And so, with much fuss and ado (mostly from Raine,) the group moved out into the Triet Desert, heading east towards Ossa Trail. Although Monika had put on the arm- and leg-bracers, he had no memory of ever fighting anything, and the expression on his face when Colette gave him the brass knuckles could only be described as blank.

“That's okay,” Colette said, impossible to bring down for long. “You'll figure out what to do with them sooner or later.”

It turned out to be sooner. When the group accidentally ran into a pack of Bandits, one managed to sneak through the fighting barrier of Lloyd, Colette, Genis, Raine, and Kratos to lunge at Monika. Before anybody had any idea what was going on—including Monika—he had landed a crippling kick to the side of the man's head, and slammed another under his chin that sent him flying fifteen feet.

Everybody watched the Bandit's trajectory open-mouthed.

“I think it's coming back to you,” Astri said.

You are not authorized to comment here. Your must be registered and logged in to comment