starfishbucks | Hello character limit, my name is Mandie.

Hello character limit, my name is Mandie.

Character: Kratos Aurion
Fandom: Tales of Symphonia
Player name: Mandie

[That was it. It was all over, he'd given every last bit of his mana to release the seal on Origin. Now he can finally rest.

That's what Kratos had been thinking before opening his eyes and finding himself in Vatheon, at least. He tries to suppress his anger at the fact that there's an afterlife, instead wondering if he can hope to find Anna here. It doesn't look like hell, at least, so maybe, just maybe sacrificing himself had been atonement enough...]

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[-and his good mood dies the instant he sees who it is. Something cold washes through his body - then something very hot.]

You!

[One hand immediately goes to the hilt of his sword, the other clutching his bag.]

Kratos! What are you doing here!

You shouldn't be here, Lloyd!

[The calm expression that Lloyd is used to seeing on Kratos's face, the one that held even as he betrayed them all... is gone entirely, replaced by a look of utter horror and something else undefineable. His hands are shaking as he reaches out to try and put a hand on Lloyd, just as his voice shook when he spoke. Lloyd can't be dead.]

Yeah, well, it's not like I had a choice!

[Every fiber of Lloyd's being stiffens with belligerence, and he jerks back to avoid Kratos's hands. He's not about to let the man lay hands on him.

It only barely registers that something is wrong. Why is Kratos looking at him like that?]

Besides, neither should you!

[Of course Lloyd wouldn't want Kratos to touch him. He draws his hand back, working to wet his lips so that he can speak. The fact that he shouldn't have to do that if he's dead doesn't even occur to him.]

Was it Mithos? I did not intend - I thought that the power of Origin would allow you to...

[He tilts his head back and closes his eyes, trying not to look at Lloyd.]

I didn't want this for you...

Mithos?

[The question seems to come from so far left field that Lloyd actually draws up short. His brow furrows in utter confusion.]

What does Mithos have to do with anything? How do you even know who he is?

[Wait, he's supposed to be scowling at the man.]

Since when did you want anything for me? I know it was all just a trick.

[Bitterness creeps into his voice. That betrayal still really stings.]

You do not know of Mithos? Lord Yggdrasill?

[Kratos sounds just as confused as Lloyd. How can this be? Lloyd knew exactly who Mithos was! He was going to fight him, wasn't he? Or is this truly Lloyd, even? It might be hell here after all. This might be an image sent to torment him.]

[Lloyd stares. Really, what else is he supposed to do when Kratos says something like that. Eyeing the man now - what is he up to?

When Lloyd speaks, it's slowly.]

Of course I know who Mithos is. He's my friend. What are you trying to get at? Dammit, just say it so I can understand and stop saying weird things.

[Kratos always does this, speaking so vaguely and dodging all his questions questions!]

[Kratos has stopped listening, his tenuous hold on himself snapping. He's nearly delirious from lack of mana, he can hardly see straight, and now this place is throwing him visions of Lloyd spouting nonsense and staring at him with accusatory eyes. He starts to mutter to himself harshly, the words slowly rising to a yell by the end of his rant.]

Mithos is no friend to anyone. This is all wrong. Why am I here?! It was supposed to be over!

[This might as well have been a hallucination for Lloyd, too, because everything in front of him is wrong. Kratos has always been calm, cool, and collected. The angriest Lloyd had ever seen him was when they'd been fighting Kvar. Even then, he hadn't yelled like this. It's hard to ignore the uneasiness twisting in his gut.

What's going on?

He's not going to be pulled in so easily, though. He folds his arms, still holding his back, and lifts his chin defiantly.]

Look, I still don't know what you're talking about, but you're definitely wrong about Mithos. He's just a kid who lose his home - because Cruxis are the ones who destroyed it.

[Oh yes, definite accusation in his tone. Still, he'll grudgingly answer one question.]

I guess you're here because the coral brought you.

[Kratos finally runs out of energy after his tirade, falling to his knees and panting. He'd been stripped of almost all his mana before coming to Vatheon, after all. Emotionally and physically exhausted, he simply slumps his shoulders and lets Lloyd say what he will about Mithos and Cruxis.]

W-whoa! Kratos?!

[That had been completely unexpected. Unexpected enough that he reacts without thought, reaching forward to try to catch the man. Too late, but now it's more than obvious. Something is very, very wrong. No matter what he feels about him, Lloyd can't stand and watch him suffer. Putting his hands on Kratos's shoulders to steady him, he peers into his face with alarm.]

Kratos, what's wrong?

[His brow wrinkles in confusion as he looks at Lloyd. Finally, he decides to just be direct. What's the point in dancing around it?]

I gave all my mana to release the seal on Origin. Are...

[He can't quite get out the question on his mind - "are you dead, as well?". If nothing else, the talk about Origin might clue Lloyd in to the idea that Kratos is from a different time point.]

Origin...?

[The name sounds vaguely familiar, like something he might have heard in school but hadn't been paying attention to at the time. He shakes his head. Whatever it is, it's not important.]

Never mind. Kratos, if you released all your mana...

[Okay, he's no expert on Mana, but that sounds really bad. Anxiety worms its way into his gut, drowning out any other clues he might have picked up. Not that it might not register later on, but...]

Come on.

[He tries to hook an arm under Kratos's arms to help him stand up.]

You need to touch the coral.

[He allows Lloyd to help him without protest, another sign that something is very wrong. His head seems to clear once he touches the coral though, and some (but not all) of his stoicism returns. Thinking about it now, his body shouldn't have felt that way after death - he shouldn't HAVE a body.]

...are we not dead?

[That lack of protest or resistance is seriously worrying. Traitor or not, Kratos's strength has always been unquestionable, a permanent fixture in Lloyd's mind. He shouldn't be acting like this. At all.

And that question doesn't help.

Lloyd stares again.]

No. No, we're not. We're in a place called Vatheon. It's... It's another world, like Sylvarant and Tethe'alla.

Kratos, are you all right?

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Hello character limit, my name is Mandie.

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