Ryu works as a bodyguard for Bo, a grassrunner merchant of ancient and magic artifacts. They travel all around the world searching for rare items and Ryu's missing sister...
Playing the PS1 version, there's this guy ("Darkeye?") who claims to have brainwashing powers. I assume he's behind everyone who worked for Dhaos against their will. And I think I saw somewhere that according to some novels, not even Dhaos was aware of it?? The true villain here. I wanted to avenge everyone in style, so I equipped Cless with 2 faerie rings and flooded him with artes, neither him nor Cless' friends had time to do anything. lol
Luke: Why are you always so mean, Asch?
Asch: I have no intention of being friendly with people who wouldn't think twice before throwing me under a coach if that meant protecting a dreck like you!
Anise: Are you jelly?
Guy: In what circumstance would we need to do such a thing...?
Natalia: Don't be foolish, Asch! I would save both of you!
Tear: Sacrifice tactics are not of our interest.
Jade: I would be the one riding said coach.
Yeah, everyone and their grandma already gave their opinions, and I know it's an open ending, and no matter the real outcome, the ending will always be bittersweet.
But!! Since I have now played the game, I felt like writing down a compilation of all details while it's fresh (from both what I noticed + people pointed out) that give base to the possibilities.
For the sake of not confusing ourselves, Luke is the protagonist, Asch is the original Luke, Mystery Luke is the post-credits guy.
Ok, first things first. Using the post-credits as reference, I'll split this into 4 things you can use to decide who Mystery Luke is:
The promise Mystery Luke mentions;
Tear cries;
Jade's reaction;
Mystery Luke visuals.
Ready?!
1 - The promise Mystery Luke mentions
Tear asks "why are you here?" Why is he here, indeed. I assume Tear's fonic hymn brought him back. But what if he came back from who-knows-where (the core?) a little before than that, found out how everyone would meet that night, only to make a cinematic appearance? It's been 2~3 years since the final battle (since Luke's coming-of-age cerimony is happening that day, which is Luke's 20th birthday), so there was enough time for him to reform his body and wander a little before showing up.
Anyway, back to her question! He answers there's a nice view of Hod there. See, this Hod is by default the point of meeting, because it was the last place they saw Luke. It also very close to Tataroo Valley, the point of Luke's journey start!
And now he adds. "And also I promised someone." Cool, cool. Let's start by discarding Natalia and Asch promise. The reason is simple, Asch already recognized it in two different moments: back in Sheridan, in the sunset scene and in Baticul, when he saves her and Luke from being executed. Natalia also let this promise go after she starts to want both Asch and Luke to follow their own paths and not be held back by expectations of their noble status and stuff. The only one who kept bringing it back from time to time was Luke, actually. So what's left? Not one, but there's actually TWO promises left!
The first is Luke's promise to his friends of coming back. Well, more specifically, to Tear. Because he only uses the word promise with her. Hence why he says "someone" (one person). If you want to be picky.
The second is Asch's promise of returning alive to Luke. Whoa?! Right after leaving Asch behind in the duel room, Luke makes him promise to survive. And he goes "Shut up! Fine, I promise."
Now, this brings us to the next point-
2 - Tear cries
You would think it's pretty obvious, huh? She cries because she's happy Luke is back! Wrong. What? OK, just maybe. You see, through the whole game, Luke keep all his memories and thoughts written down on his diary (medical orders lol). One of the entries has the following: "I wonder if she won't cry even after I die?" Well, what if Tear noticed something was different and this isn't really Luke. And then we would have the answer: yes, she actually would cry for you, Luke.
So, was it happy Tear(s) or sad Tear(s)? (sorry not sorry)
Now, talking about noticing things, here's the next point-
3 - Jade's reaction
Seeing his reaction the first time, I was so sure he was smiling! Then I wasn't so sure anymore. We don't know if he can listen to Tear and Mystery Luke word exchange. But he's observing the whole thing, the others start to move towards the pair and then there's this big focus on Jade reaction. Something comes to his mind and he gives a little gasp. And then he withers (I can't find a better word). What emotion is he holding back? Is he relieved or is he actually melancholic?
Now, we are talking about the guy whose one of the possible titles is Gambler at Heart. Right now he's finally seeing the results of his bet. Did he win? Did he lost? Was he wrong about the outcome of Luke's destiny? And even if he was, does it really mean Luke is back?
And finally, we get to the last point-
4 - Mystery Luke visuals
We stabilished Jade noticed something. And right after this, the camera goes to show Mystery Luke's back, and we see the Key of Lorelei. Asch is right handed, Luke is left handed. And the sword is positioned for a left handed person. What that means?
Woah, it's Luke?! But, wait. The hair is pretty long for a 2~3 years interval... ("my hair grows fast!", anyone? xD)
Which means... It's Asch's body?!
Not much to comment over the clothes, it's closer to Luke's taste (?) but we don't know where Mystery Luke got them. Fonic magic? Bought somewhere, if you like the idea of him coming back some time before the post-credit scene?
Anyway, in the end, I believe Mysterious Luke having Asch's body is the only sure thing, and here's why-
Bonus - Contamination effect
A "little" extra, some thoughts about the contamination effect and what Jade expected to happen (but didn't want to happen).
I was really excited for the sidequest sequence because I believed it would clear everything up. But!! It didn't? Let's go through what information we got from it.
Let's jump to the second part of this sidequest, when Jade talks to Star, the Cheagle. Someone pointed out that when we free Star back in Ortion Cavern, he was found in the Replica's cell. But Star says he's the Original. He claims that his replica (probably) died. And that he also died once, felt something flow into him and then wasn't dead anymore- and Replica Star was gone. We don't know how Original Star died, but for the sake of the argument, for now, let's say it's was due to the replica experiment side effect.
So the Original eventually dies, and the Replica is absorbed, making the Original come back to life. But wait, remember how we found him in the Replica's cell? Shouldn't we have found him in the Original's cell instead? What does that means?!
Easy. The Replica's body absorbed the fonons of the Original, and the latter took control of it. What Original Star felt was his own fonons flowing into his new body. So even though Original Star "died", he's the one who stayed, taking place of the Replica. Learning what happened, Jade questions if that meant Dist completed the perfect isofon research. So this is the result of creating a replica with perfect isofons.
Now, what happens to the Replica in this case? Is it erased? For the answer, we have the rest of the sidequest.
Third part of the sidequest, Jade talks to Spinoza. We find out that he tried to explain to Asch the effects of a perfect isofon creation, and here we get the concept of the "big bang". Asch was supposed to gradually grow weaker physically and fonic wise until the moment said "big bang" ocurred. But that explanation was misleading, and Jade quickly picks up that Asch got the wrong impression from it (thanks, Spinoza). Jade also thinks "it's too late", as in trying to correct him won't matter at this point, for what Asch already did until now was half motivated by the idea of dying soon. But we already know from Star's case that the Original doesn't really die.
Fourth and last part of the sidequest. Jade talks to Dist. He tells him Asch has died, but not from the big bang thing. Dist just brushes it off, saying that the big bang was probably already beggining. And then Jade says "maybe not!" and Dist goes "but that goes against your own theory!". And by the end of this, Dist adds "...his memories will remain" almost as an attempt to comfort Jade, that replies "no, nothing but his memories will remain."
If you take that literally, it's kinda confusing, because if the Replica's memories do remain, why Original Star didn't seem to recognize he had Replica Star's memories? So I lean to the idea that by "memories" is more like "memories of his existence" rather than "the raw memories that belonged to him"! haha
At this point, we arrive at Jade's logical expectation versus Jade's wishful thinking. If Jade's theory is right, Asch will take Luke's place. But if by some miracle or plot armor the big bang doesn't happen at all, or it happens the other way around, then Jade is wrong. And Jade hopes he is.
Now one more thing about the contamination effect outside of this sidequest chain.
After Asch dies, Luke feels something flow into him. Sounds familiar? Original Star said the same thing. But Luke is still Luke at this point. And then Jade asks if he felt something leave him. Luke just talk about feeling a little weak.
What is that about? Well, Luke receiving fonons from Asch is exactly what was to be expected from perfect isofons. The big bang is happening. If it was the opposite, then Luke would be the one to stay. But that isn't the case. Just like Jade predicted.
Well, you could question why only a bit of fonons were absorbed, like Asch sent specifically his hyperresonance power- Maybe there's no big bang at all, like Jade hoped.
But then, there's the scene right before Luke completes his deal with Lorelei. Jade gives outs his left hand for a shake and Luke raises he right for a second, like a reflex. Even though Luke is left-handed.
Big bag effect? Asch, is that you???
And finally, we have the cutscene of Luke carrying Asch. Right before changing to the outside scene, Asch's hand twitchs. Did Luke just reverse the big bang? Instead of Asch taking Luke's place, Luke takes Asch's place? Maybe because Asch died before the big bang took full effect?? (Even though Dist wasn't concerned about it...)
I think YES. Listen, Original Star never died. He was big banged into Replica Star. But Asch, an original, did die. And Jade has learned time and time again that you can't bring back the dead. There.
Oh, Asch's memories?
Star didn't get any new memories.
Luke won't, either.
Aaahh??
Like Mieu and Luke said: "I don't really understand it!" (lol)
Another bonus - Lorelei
I kinda of get why some people think Mystery Luke has Lorelei involved somewhere, but may I remind that Lorelei's final goal was to go to space and become the seventh fonon belt? He even goes woosh towards the sky in the post-final-battle cutscene.
Really, the only thing he does in the end is to congratulate Luke and leave.
Did I miss something??
Conclusion
I thought by the end of this I would find myself with an ambiguous conclusion, but as I wrote down, I got stuck with only one outcome.
Mysterious Luke' promise? It's Luke's "I'll be back" promise.
Tear cries? Yes, of happiness (because she refuses to cry of sadness).
Jade's reaction? "OH?!" to "Welp, you almost fooled me."
Mystery Luke's visual? Questionable fashion. It's Luke. I mean- it's Asch's body, due to reverse big bang!
Yes, if you follow my logic, Luke's back in Asch's body. No, no, I don't like it very much either. Lorelei is pure 7th fonon, couldn't he, like, fix both of them? Lolerei is the true villain, guys. Wasn't Asch tragic enough, he doesn't get another chance? Are you happy, Jade?? ('cause you doesn't seem like it, what are you hiding, man, stop it-)
(Also, Asch just can't keep any promises smh)
I don't see it as Luke taking over Asch. Asch died before any of it. Luke was just... Lucky.
I'll see myself out. (lol)
That's it!
A reminder this is only my understanding of the whole thing.
...I kinda want to check out the ending of the manga and anime now, but the manga isn't fully available on internet, it seems. :o
I may add something here after I rewatch the anime hehe
A small Tales of Symphonia fanfic about one last talk between the main characters, right before they split paths and pursue new objectives. (with Zelos as 1st person narrator lol)
Mostly based on the game ending, but also inspired by the anime and manga versions, with a bit of sprinkled headcanon.
///
Summary: Sylvarant and Tethe'alla are united once again and a new World Tree is born. Lloyd and Colette rejoins the group bringing the news about the Summon Spirit Martel and the promise they made. Before anything else, though, the exhaustion of the recent events finally catches up to the party and they choose to have a quick rest before saying their goodbyes.
///
I betrayed them.
Pronyma took Colette with her, leaving me behind to fight. Of course, I lost. I knew I would lose. I end up in Lloyd's arms, somehow. Eh, how embarassing. I get to have one last look on everyone, at least. But something surprises me; they don't look disappointed, nor disgusted, not even angry. They're sad. Sheding tears for someone like me? Heh. That's just like them.
Slowly, the world fades around me.
Then, I wake up.
It's late afternoon, the last of sunrays arriving at our camp. Oh, right. We just saved the world or something, huh? I sit up and find that I'm not the only one who fell asleep. Lloyd is snoring without a worry in the world. Colette is next to him, looking like a resting angel. Then, there's Genis, who looks like he cried himself to sleep. And Raine is right beside him, with an arm over him. Sibling love... Over there there's Sheena and Presea, leaning on a tree. Maybe they fell asleep while talking? How cute!
And finally there's Regal, sleeping while sitting down, judging me-
"So you are awake, Chosen."
"So are you. Standing guard, I presume?" He nods. "Man, you never take a break, do you?"
"I can't really rest when the end of our journey isn't here just yet. We're about to face new ordeals along with the consequences of the world unification, after all."
"No! Don't remind me of it, please. I lend a hand to you guys only to find more trouble! I just had enough of that reponsability stuff!!"
"Oh, shut up, idiot chosen! I can't sleep with that annoying yapping of yours!" Sheena joins in, as delicate as ever. I can't help but smile back to her.
"You just can't ignore this sweet voice of mine, is that what you're saying?" I evade a surprise seal attack. Regal is unfazed by our exchange.
"I understand being the chosen must have been a burden as much as a benefit. But now that mana flows equally to both lands and the world regenaration cycle was broken, your title may as well change its meaning." Regal says as he brings his hand to his chin. "Perhaps it's your chance to forge your own path."
"Who knows. Despite everything, being 'The Chosen One' has its charm." I quickly change subjects. "When are you going to get rid of those, by the way?" I mimic his handcuffed arms pose. He seems to find it amusing enough to smirk.
"When the time comes."
"But we defeated Cruxis, right?" Ah, Presea must have awakened with all the commotion. "You- we fulfilled our promise to Alicia."
Regal shakes his head. "Not completely. I still have to do my share to free the world of the Exspheres for good. I'm sure my position will be of great value to aid Lloyd's quest of doing so."
"Still, you don't need these anymore, really." Sheena says as she stands up and approaches Regal. She rests her hands on her hips. "I mean, isn't about time for you to turn the page?"
"I agree with Sheena. After everything we passed through, we're all going to start over somehow."
"Listen to the ladies, Regal. They're concerned about you~"
Regal sighs. "So all of you believe I should let go of the past."
Sheena ruffles her hair, probably trying to find the right words. "It's less about forgetting the past and more about looking foward the future, you know?"
"You had enough punishment." Regal lift his eyes to Presea as she speaks. "Free yourself at once so you can start paying for your mistakes properly." Regals looks pensive for a moment.
After a deep breath, he clenches his fists and *clank!*
Moving his arm in opposite directions, he breaks the handcuffs like it's nothing. What the heck.
"Woah!" Sheena eyes widen. "I was thinking of asking Lloyd to lockpick it for you, but that works too." She starts laughing.
"That was impressive." Presea soft expression says otherwise, but we know she meant it.
Someone starts clapping. "You're amazing, Regal!" Colette has also awaken, just in time for the show.
"There's nothing amazing about it." Regal blushes with all the attention. A rather funny contrast, a man of his build to act so bashful.
"Ah~ Is anyone else hungry?" Colette stands up and starts walking towards us. "I was thinking of making some snacks-" Presea tries to warn her right away. "Colette, look out!" Too late- she trips on Genis and falls over him and Raine. A sequence of surprised and painful interjections ensues.
"I'm sorry!!" she squeaks. I quickly move to give her a hand.
"Are you okay, Colette-dear? What about you, Raine-hun?"
"I'm great, thanks." Genis answers instead.
"Yes, I'm sure you are." I get a mean-look in return. I shrug and he rolls out his eyes, only for them to meet with Presea's, who was right next to him. He drops back.
"Did I scare you?" She tilts her head.
"N-not at all! Aha- ahaha!" She extends her hand to help him stand, which he hesitates to accept for a second. Oh, c'mon, Genis! She cartoonishly lifts him back to his feet. "T-thanks." He brushes the dirt from his pants and looks around. "Is everyone up?"
"Almost." Raine points at Lloyd, fast asleep, totally unaware of his surroundings.
"Leave it to me!" I say as I raise my hand. I crouch next to him. He's drooling. Can you believe it? He's the guy who can lift anyone's spirit, who endured some crazy journey of trial and error and choose to follow a rocky path with a smile in the face...
"What are going to do?" Colette asks in antecipation.
"Shh!" I reply to her, playfully making a gesture asking for silence.
Anyway, everyone's up, it's about time he join us too. I pinch his nose with my thumb and index finger. One, two, three... He opens his eyes and get up away too fast, our foreheads meet. Ouch!! Okay, I guess I deserved it.
"Uugh! Zelos, what are you doing!?" Everyone bursts in different degrees of laugh.
"Is your head made of iron or what? Ah, my pretty face..." I rub my forehead.
"Hmm? It's already getting dark."
"Hey, bud, how about we go to a town and get some decent rest?"
"You're forgetting a tiny detail. Now that the worlds merged, don't you think the geography may be a tad different?" Sheena has a point. "Who knows how much it changed."
"Hopefully not too much." Wishful thinking, I know.
"We can use the rheairds to scout the area around and see if there's any villages near us."
"Okay, I'll go with you! If we need to, I can use Luna to light our path back!" Raine nods in response. "Stay safe, everyone, we'll be back soon."
"I'll gather firewood before it's get too dark."
"I'll go with you, Presea!"
Genis and Presea also leave us.
"Eeh, I guess we'll end up camping tonight, after all." I let out a sigh. I'm not very thrilled with the idea. To be honest, I wish I could just arrive home and drop on my bed. Maybe sleep for a week or two. Now that's a plan.
"Then I'll start doing the snacks!" Colette on other hand looks very excited. She interrupts my daydreaming. "Can you give me a hand, Zelos?"
"So you recognize my cooking talents, dear Colette?!"
"Hm! I would love if you helped me with the tea. You always make it so tasty!"
"You know, I think it wouldn't hurt to start planning dinner too." Lloyd joins the cooking party.
"Let's organize our stash and see what else we can cook for everyone."
"Oh? Our star chef, duke Bryant, will also help?"
"S-star chef?"
"Zelos is right, your cooking skills are something else! But you still can't beat up Genis' skills." What a loyal friend.
"Alright, let's get started!"
On Colette's command, each one of us started doing what we did best in cuisine. Which means my duty was to brew some tea. It doesn't sounds like much, does it? But, you see, a life of luxury will make one lazy. If I wanted tea, I could just order someone to bring it to me in a silver plate and a fancy cup. I only ever lifted a finger when there was no choice. Anything I considered trivial was out of my mind.
It's kinda of a lame way of life, isn't it?
"Lloyd! Look! Look!!" Colette points out at the opposite side of the sunset, in awe. "It's 'Tethe'alla' and... Sylvarant?"
Look at that, indeed. We have two moons now!
"After the Derris-Kharlan mess, that's a more welcome addition to the sky, isn't it?" You bet, Lloyd. It feels like it was only yesterday. Except the comet was still there earlier today. Menacingly haging over our heads. Yeah. I really need a vacation after all of this.
"It's a beautiful view." Fitting comment, Regal always striked me as a romantic.
We go back to the current task at hand: dinner. As we are entertained with the meal preparation, time slipped by. Presea and Genis are back. I was expecting either Presea bringing back a entire tree trunk or Genis carrying more weight than he should to impress her; but my comical imagination was betrayed by a more grounded scene of them holding just a bunch of twigs and sticks each. I still have to hold my laugh and hope no one notices.
"Welcome back!" Colette cheerfully greets them.
"Raine and Sheena aren't back yet?"
"No, not yet." Lloyd offers them fruit sandwiches in handkerchiefs. "I'm sure they won't mind if we start ahead!"
"Isn't better to wait for them?" Colette doesn't fully approve eating without everything reunited, even though she seems the one who was most antecipating the sweets.
That's just how she is. She cares too much about the others, and that's something I learned as soon as she got her voice back. At first, I attributed her nature to the fact she's the Chosen. But so I am. We held the same fate, yet we were opposites. This certainly made me a little bitter. Was it jealousy? Was I jealous of how dedicated to her role she was, how she never complained? How she was so strong and so selfless? I was wrong, though. She was afraid and struggled with her destiny too. What made her endure all of it was her love. The love for her family, for her friends, for her world... She thought it was worth it. That's what she told me. And because she wasn't alone, she also started to fight for her own sake too.
Instead of jealousy, I came to admire her.
"The tea will get cold." I hand over a cup to Colette, who end up accepting it. "They'll be here soon, I'm sure."
"Oh, are you worried about them, Colette? Raine is cautious and has a good direction sense, they'll be fine! Now, if it was Lloyd and Sheena instead, I would be worried too."
"What was that!?" Lloyd ruffles Genis' hair in response.
"Nooo~! Stop it!" Free again, he starts tyding up his hair back to its original state. "I mean, you two are kinda alike, so..."
"Hey, now that's going too far! Sheena isn't even here to defend herself." I agree with Genis, but standing up for a woman is a gentleman's job. Lloyd doesn't take it too well and sends me a threating stare. Oh, no, not my hair!
Fortunately, I'm saved by the bell- we can hear the rheairds' engine sound getting closer and a light shortening its distance from us.
The girls are back!
Sheena give us a quick report.
"We found an area very similar to the outskirsts of Mizuho to the north! But since it's dark already, we decided to come back before exploring any further. We should go that direction first thing tomorrow."
"Oh, you guys made dinner already? If I knew I would have come sooner to help." Says the person who can mess up frying an egg in the most creative ways possible. Which is very intriguing. Raine is a very mature and rational woman, but even her has her quirks.
Well, hanging out with everyone for so long, it was bound to happen that I would start seeing more facets than any person usually shows. I spent a lot of time observing. I did join them as a spy, to begin with. To think I had no intention of getting too involved or anything. And now... We're all friends! The irony.
Or maybe I'm getting too ahead of myself. Not too many hours ago I was this close to ditch everyone. I'm sure they haven't fully forgiven me just yet (as they should).
Then what am I doing sharing a warm meal with everyone?
"Say, now that we have settled with the most urgent business... What are you guys doing next?" Everyone looks at each other, waiting to see who will answer Sheena first.
"I'll go to Meltokyo to meet up with His Majesty." I start, because why not. "We have lots of thing to talk over, after all."
"I have to get ready for my next journey! But before that I'll pay a visit to dad and K-" Lloyd chokes up in the middle of the sentence.
"Lloyd, are you okay?!" Colette rubs his back.
"Don't eat and talk at the same time!" Genis seems to be familiar with the scene.
"Ahem! I want to get rid of the Exspheres and I don't know how long that'll take, so the sooner I start, the better!"
"You're always so restless. But I feel the same. I'll go back to Iselia for a while to plan my trip with Genis. The world may look different now, but there still many things that need to be changed."
"Raine..." Genis plays a bit with his food, lost in thought.
"I'll go with Lloyd!" Colette and Lloyd smile to each other. It looks like something they decided beforehand. Look at them, it's like they live in their own little world.
"I want to go too!" Oh? "Let me accompany you, Lloyd!"
"Of course, Genis!"
"I expected you would want to go along with them." Genis opens his mouth to say something, but Raine continues. "There's no rush for us, just do what you think you need to do."
"Right! Thank you, Raine!"
"And since you three will be absent for who knows how long, I'll prepare some material for your studies in the way."
"Say what!? Professor, we still get homework!?"
"Lloyd, you should know by now I won't let you education to go unfinished! It's my duty as your teacher to see you with the basic knowledge fully covered!"
Lloyd just sighs, his two childhood friends patting his back in solidarity.
"...I intend to take up the reins of the Lazareno company once again and set things straight as soon as I can."
"I also have some work to do back in Mizuho. But hey, now we all live in the same world, we can still visit each other anytime!"
"...I wonder what I should do." Presea whispers. Aw, man. That's right. Out of everyone here, she's the only one who really has nothing to return to. Even though I don't have a "home" either, I still have a place to go back. And I have my sister, even if she doesn't want anything to do with me. Or at least that's what I wanted to believe.
Well, being a Chosen won't matter soon enough and she'll be free. Might as well give her a tour of the outside world...
"Presea, would you like to come to Altamira with me?"
"Ah! Well, I..."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to impose. I only believe that this is the least I can do for you, even if it's just a temporary alternative."
"To be honest, I don't know what I'm supposed to do."
"Then try thinking from another angle. What do you want to do, Presea?"
She ponders for a few seconds. She can choose now. Maybe this fact still didn't fully come to her.
"I see. There's many things I want to do, actually. The first thing I want to do is to visit Alicia to let her know of everything that we went through and that will continue moving foward. I also wish to rebuild Ozette in the future, this time to be a village that welcomes anyone, humans, elfs and half-elfs alike. And if possible, I want to help with the Exspheres issue too."
"There you go. There's a long way to achieve some of these goals, but you have all the time in the world now."
"Yes, I do. I'll accept your offer, then. Thank you."
"Just do things at your own pace and you'll be fine!"
"That's a very you advice, Lloyd." Genis teases.
"Is that so? Haha!"
"I don't think that was a compliment." Sheena read my thoughts.
"You can count on us, Presea!" Genis cheers her up.
"You're not alone anymore." Collete adds as she grabs both Presea's hands, like an assurance of her presence.
"If you ever get tired of the old Duke Bryant, feel free to drop by my house, okay?"
"Really? You really are hopeless."
"C'mon, don't twist my intentions, Sheeeenaaa!"
"Thank you all, truly." Presea gives us her beautiful smile.
Now, that's a good question. What I want to do.
What I want still hasn't changed, I think.
"Okay, whose turn is it to wash the dishes again? Zeeelos?" Ack! Is that the brat's way of punishment for before?
"I'll help too!"
"Colette! ♥"
"Don't spoil him, Colette." You don't spoil the moment, Lloyd!
"It's okay, I'm not tired."
"Fine! It'll be faster if I give hand too, right?"
"You guys are making me look bad..." Genis joins the cleaning in the end.
"Aw, all the kids are volunteering." Raine, you're just one year older the me...!
Before I know it, the service is done, and we're all ready to take a long nap. Or so I thought. I find myself stargazing. I often did it back home too. I would slip out of the bed in the middle of the night and go up on the roof. Being surrounded by the night sky makes me feel small. At times like this, I would just embrace the void, but my mind is too busy to wander.
Out little adventure is over now. Everyone has set to do something, now there's only me left to decide. I could just go back to my life. All my hunnies must miss me so much~ They're probably lonely without me. Yeah, right. Ha ha!
I get it now.
I'll miss them. I'll feel lonely without them.
It can't be helped, though, our little group will soon be disbanded. What should I do now? Maybe I could mirror Regal and Sheena, and put my status to use. Maybe I could do like Raine and Presea, and take my time to plan out my next steps. Maybe I could go right back to action like Lloyd, Colette and Genis. Or maybe I should be more original. Whatever I do, it'll be what I want to do.
That sounds good enough.
I close my eyes.
Slowly, the world fades around me.
///
Lloyd gives his dad, Dirk, one final hug before leaving home. He has already given his farewell to his father and mother beforehand, each one now existing in their own unreachable distances.
Right next to the exit, Colette and Genis are waiting for him under a tree shade, with their rucksacks and bags all ready for the trip.
"'Morning, guys! Are you ready?"
Two figures appear from behind, whispering a gentle "boo" in unison. Lloyd lets a shriek out of surprise. He quickly turns around.
"Hey, bud! We're all ready to hit the road!"
"You really didn't notice us? Well, I'm ninja, but still..."
"Z-Zelos and Sheena?!" Colette and Genis just giggle- they were already aware of their presence. "What are YOU doing here?"
"Well, you see... We're here on behalf of the king, as messengers from Tethe'alla. Rejoice in the presence of the Great Chosen One and the Gorgeous Chief of Mizuho!"
Sheena hits Zelos with her elbow. He bends a little from the pain.
"You'll go around all over the globe and stuff, yeah? That works perfectly for us."
"So we are travelling together again...!"
"For the time being, yep. But don't get too used to it, or else when we do separate our ways, I'll cry."
"You, crying?" Lloyd looks perplexed.
"Of relief, of course." Zelos smirks. Lloyd chases Zelos around.
"Good to see they're so full of energy." Sheena sighs.
"And here I thought we would have a peaceful trip." Genis shakes his head.
Colette thinks back to when she started the Journey of Regeneration. This is different. It won't be easy either, but she's not worried. Her heart feels light and more hopeful then ever.
tangentwithtanner
prguitarman
izzy806
dededos
origamiaround
snowghoul