Tales of Symphonia Story, Sylvarant Chronicles (1)

QUIZ START: There was a loud rumbling noise, and the door that had remained close slowly opened. With a start, images began flashing in front of your eyes. You saw passages, like a maze, and you seemingly flew through them. Next moment you were at the top of the Tower. That kid, Mithos, was forming a pact with both Luna and Aska. But Martel was there with them, *They--...We, must have come here before the Balacruf Mausoleum.* you think. Recalling with sadness the flashback you had in which she was killed.
Before you could even blink, you found yourself back on the bottom floor. You were going to assume you were awake, however you noticed that all of the room was in shades of gray, as though you were colorblind. You were standing just a short wase from the circle on the floor which held the three pads; you stood facing the door out of the Tower. You look down at your hands; your skin was a pale pasty grey color, and the normally colorful woven patterns on your sleeves just...shades of dark to light grey.
"Hey, guys...?" you start. But were confused when no one responded, "Professor Raine? Sheena? ...Kratos?" you ask, turning back to the pedestals. They were gone.
"?!" You take one step forward, hoping that they were just hiding somewhere. The almost quiet tap of your foot hitting the floor echoed around the room, "Guys? Guys?! Guys, this isn't funny!! Kratos! Sheena! Professor Raine!!" you exclaim, running to where the oracle stone was, and looking around; your footsteps echoed around the room. "Where are you?!" what you had last called echoed away till it was nothing. *What happened to them?! They were right here!!* you think looking at the pedestals that were now empty. *And what happened to my eyes?! Why am I color blind?* then you call one last time "Anybody?! Hello!?"

After turning to continue your search you notice that the door that originally the entrance to the Tower was closed, but light was seeping through the cracks. You walk over to the door, and faintly hear something from the other side. It almost sounded like Lloyd,
"Okay. We'll wait for you."
"Lloyd?!" you ask
"We will try to find our own way." a voice responded,
"Kratos!"
"Stay by the communicator in case we can contact you again." Raine's voice advised.
"Lloyd, Kratos, Professor Raine! Anybody! Can you hear me!?" you try to open the door but it's locked "Guys! Help me!" you yell desperately, while pounding on the door "Im stuck in here! Please!"
"...Hm?"
"Kratos, what is it?" asked Professor Raines voice.
"...I thought I heard something." he responded
"Heard something?" asked Sheena's voice
"It sounded like...someone calling for help." Kratos' voice explained, "The voice... Sounded familiar."
"Kratos!" you yell "Help me! Please!"
"..."
"I don't hear anything." Sheena's voice said
"I suppose i was just hearing things..." Kratos' voice agreed.
"No...I thought I heard it to." Raine agreed,
"Professor!!!"
"Are you guys sure?" asked Sheena's voice,
"..."
"Professor!! Kratos!! Sheena!!"
"...I dont hear anything anymore." Kratos' voice commented, making your heart sink,
"I guess it was just a coincidence." Raines voice sighed,
"No!" you yell, pounding on the door. Your voice was beginning to crack from yelling so much "No! No, no, no! Kratos! Professor! You Did hear something! Please! I need help! "
"Your friends can't hear you." a new voice said suddenly, making you jump. While your heart beat slowed down and returned to normal you ask,
"What?"
"You're trapped inside your own mind now, your friends can't hear you. Those few whispers Kratos and Raine had heard before were just flukes. But I assure you, they are fine."
"Wh-who are you?" you ask,
"That is no concern." the voice responded. You didn't recognize the voice, you hadn't heard it before "As I said before. Your friends are fine."
"Where are my friends?! What have you done to them?! What have you done to me?!" you demand.
"Calm down." the voice told you, "In order to see your friends again, and to escape your own mind, you must navigate through this temple. You must find your own way... and get out"
"...Fine..."
"Very good. I shall wait for you at the end. As for your path...to the door..." you felt a small, cool breeze of air blow past you.

You look towards the door and see what looked like wisps of air that had been colored white. They floated lightly, slowly on the breeze that had come out of nowhere,
"...The door..." it repeated. Then it suddenly zoomed up the door that Lloyd and the others had taken.
"Thanks for the help..." you grumble.

You walk across the room and come to a stop between the two doors, *Hm...I don't trust that voice.* you turn to the stairway it had taken, only to find the door closed and sealed shut.
"Wh-what?!" you gasp, "When did that happen?! Ah-...!" Something around your neck started tugging towards the open door. You put your hand on your neck, and your fingers touch a chain *What?* you think. But after pulling on the chain...it was your locket. It was glowing golden, floating slowly. It pulled the chain taut, pulling towards the door, thus causing the tugging around your neck, *Wait...I get it...my memories... My memories are directing me... Well, at least I have some help...* You walk the way your locket pulled, and wind up in a room with three doors, three separate ways to go. You walk into the middle of the room, your locket stopped glowing, and fell back; hanging loosely around your neck.

You look around the room slowly, wondering which door to take, when your locket began to float again, and abruptly jerked to the right *...........* you follow after where it directed. After a while of moving through many rooms, you wind up in a room with many mirrors. Those white wisps of air from before float past you, gliding around the stone orbs in the room. The voice you heard before instructed,
"Arrange the mirrors so the beam of light--" the cloth on the wall next to you burned down, and a beam of pure white shot out of the opening "Hits all of the orbs."

After about ten minutes you had completed the puzzle, you call
"Done."
"Good, now proceed." the white air glided quickly through the door and disappeared,
"Wait! How much farther till I find--" your locket jerked towards the far side of the room suddenly; pulling a lot harder than before, resulting in the chain cutting into your neck alittle. "Ow! O-okay...Okay, I'm going..." after going through two more rooms, you find a large staircase, your locket is pulling towards the flight of stairs, telling you you'll have to go up.

"The top floor, hm...." you murmur. Your locket pulled harder, training against the chain on your neck, and cutting into your skin a little more "Ow! " you grabbed your locket, forcing it down to stop the cutting on your neck. You begin the walk up the stairs, and reach behind your neck, feeling where the chain had cut. When you bring your hand back, you felt wet on your fingers but couldn't see anything. "Huh? Oh yeah, colorblind... but...I'm bleeding..."

The Professor just broke contact with Lloyd,
"Alright, so now we just need to--"
"Follow me." Aura instructed. But her voice sounded almost entirely different. It sounded...empty. Soulless...Emotionless.
"Aura?" asked Sheena. "You okay?" Aura walked to the newly opened door
"Follow me." she repeated, walking up the flight of steps that was behind the door without even waiting for them to catch up. Kratos, Sheena and Raine look at each other briefly, before following after Aura. When they arrive in the room at the top of the stairs, there were three doorways, three different ways to go. Aura had stopped in the middle of the room,
"This is like a maze..." Sheena commented,
"Yes. Now the only question is, which way?" Kratos asked.
"This way." Aura said, walking to the door on the right,
"Well then...let's go." Raine suggested, and they followed Aura. Because she apparently couldnt hear them...
"What's wrong with her?" asked Sheena, "She's acting really creepy."
"Perhaps," Kratos suggested, "Instead of simply getting back her memories, the trance Aura is in now is guiding her through the temple."
"That's strange..." Raine mumbled.

After Aura had guided them through many more rooms, they wound up in a large room with many glass blocks that had mirrors in them,
"Where are we?" asked Sheena.
"We must arrange the mirrors, so light is hitting each of the golden orbs." Aura instructed
"What light? You mean the light source of this room?" asked Raine.
"This way." she responded, walking to the red cloth that was hanging from the wall. She used the 'Sorcerers Ring' and burned the cloth, a bright beam of light shot through the opening. And they proceeded to arrange the blocks the way she had instructed. When they had finished...
"Nothing seems to have changed..." the Professor commented,
"Perhaps just nothing in this room." Kratos responded,
"That is correct." Aura told them, "Follow me. We have almost completed our task." she walked by them to the door on the far side of the room
"Man." Sheena murmured, as they follow their friend "I hope that she snaps out of it soon. Aura really creep's me out when she's like this." She guided them through two more rooms, and they then wound up at a large staircase,
"This way." Aura instructed, and proceeded to walk up the staircase. After avoiding many battles, the group ended up in another maze-like room.

"Aw man!" Sheena said "Not this again!!"
"This way. We must...keep moving." Aura instructed, walking towards another door,
"Am I the only one getting seriously creeped out?" Sheena asked, "She's been in that trance for over 10 minutes!"
"Yes, it is rather strange." Kratos agreed, "I'm starting to worry if she will be able to return to normal after she breaks the trance."
"I just hope she can break it..." Raine mumbled
"Come on." Sheena said, Aura had already gone into the next room "We can't loose her. Trance or not, Aura is still vulnerable. Her back isnt fully healed yet; if she gets hurt, she will be in serious trouble." she ran to catch up with her, and Kratos and Raine followed. They wound up on a balcony of some sort,

You finally come into a room; you were standing on some form of balcony, with a glowing path leading to some form of teleporter, *Where am I now?* suddenly your locket stopped glowing, falling back down. The white wisps of air began to slowly swirl around you. The white had divided into three separate strands; one circling your head, another circling your waist and lower arms, the final strand circling your knees. The voice complimented,
"...You have done very well, Aura...Now, you shall be returned to the normal world. To your friends..." the strands turned into solid bands, but continued circling you. They started circling faster and faster, and they then started glowing golden. "Until...I meet you again..." Golden light filled your vision, and with a start you were dropped back into the real world; thrown out of your mind,

But when you finally came back to your senses, it feels like you just learned the laws of gravity. You collapsed,
"Aura!" you heard Sheena exclaim. When you opened your eyes everything had color again; you were forced to squint, your eyes weren't used to the bright colors. After all, you had been seeing things in only black, white, and grey for a while,
"Aura, what happened? Are you alright?" asked Kratos' voice,
"Huh?" you ask sitting up slowly, You were at the same place you where when you came out of your flashback. "Y-yeah I'm fine...where are we?"
"You mean...You don't remember?" asked Raine,
"Remember... what?"
"We'll explain later." Kratos responded, helping you stand, "Now, we need to find a way to contact Lloyd and the others." After crossing the glowing path, you find two more communication pedestals.
"There seem to be majitechnology machines here as well." Raine commented, "I'll, try stepping onto that round pedestal." After stepping on the platform, an image of Lloyd and the others appear,
"Whoa! Something appeared again!" Lloyd commented,
"Can you hear me? We've made it in further." she explained, "It would be best to regroup before we proceed."
"Okay." then the image disappeared. You sit on the ground while everyone waited for Lloyd and the others to show. You remember, *My neck got cut in the flashback...* you follow the chain of your locket with your fingers, going to the back of your neck. When your fingers brush against one place on the back of your neck you flinch; the area was sensitive and sore. You pull your hand away, and look at your fingers.
There was a drop of blood on your fingertips *What?!*
"Aura, is something wrong?" asked Kratos,
"N-no, no. I just think I might have hurt myself when I collapsed. I'm fine..." you murmured as an afterthought, ".....you heard me."
"...?" Kratos gave you a questionable look. You stand,
"While I was in that trance, somehow, I was trapped inside my own mind. The only way out that I saw, was a door. When I got near it I could hear you all talking." you explain, "I started yelling for you, and asking for your help." They all gasped softly,
"So...That was...Your voice, I heard?" asked the Mercenary slowly. You nod
"Mm-hm.... I think so."
"So we weren't just hearing things..." Raine mumbled.