Tales of Symphonia Story, Tethe'alla Chronicles (3)

QUIZ START: You made a good amount of progress, but because the sun was setting, and you didn't know how far it was to Altessas, you set up camp just outside the exit of the forest opposite of Mizuho.
You set up camp for the night and ate dinner together. Later that night you found sitting a small wase outside of the camp. You remember a...rather sad...song.

Play ground school bell rings...again...
Rain clouds come to play. Again...
Has no one told you, she's not breathing?
Hello.
I'm your mind.
Giving you someone...to talk to...Hello...

If I smile and don't...believe...
Soon I know...I'll awake...from this dream
Don't try to fix me, I'm not broken...
Hello.
I'm the lie.
Living for you, so you can hi-I-de. Don't cry...

(short instrumental)

Suddenly I know I'm not sleeping.
Hello...!
I-I'm still here...!
All that's left of yesterda--y--y-y-y...

"...That was beautiful." you almost jump. You look back and see...
"Oh...Regal...you startled me!" you tell him.
"Sorry." he walked over to you, and sat down next to you. "You have a lovely singing voice, Aura. But...do you always sing...such sad songs?"
"No...I'm just...feeling kind of down. That's all." you respond,
"...Ah...I see. If you don't want to, or can't show how you really feel physically, you sing about it?" Regal asked,
"Y-yeah. That's right."

WITH HIM: Kratos tried to sleep, but it was restless and filled with nightmares. She...kept coming into his mind. He tossed and turned relentlessly, his breath coming in shallow gasps, and sweat dripping down his face. One of his hands clenched into a tight fist on the sheets, his breathing becoming raspier. During his sleep, he groaned
"...Stop...Stop it..."

In his head, Kratos saw painful images.

In his dream, he imagined pain...what pain Aura had been put through for her to get those scars. He heard her screams. He saw Yggdrasills triumphant smirk when she was scared as 'his' for the rest of her life
"Stop!" Kratos yelled at him "Stop it! Let her go!" he heard her screaming, and watched her cry "Aura!" Kratos tried to help, but something held him back, like...powerful bindings around his wrists, waist, and ankles, he couldn't help her
"Kratos--! Help me! Please!" she begged, tears streaming from her eyes.
"Aura--!" he managed to reach out a hand, he was almost close enough to reach Aura. His hand was just barely an inch away from her.

When everything disappeared. The Angel was left in a room of darkness, chained to the ground; his shirt was gone, revealing his chest and arms. His arms were at fully spread to the sides, and wrists still firmly held to the ground. Kratos was fully open, and couldn't protect himself from any attacks. He looked up, defenselessly.
"...Why...?" Kratos asked.
"Because." Yggdrasills voice told him. The angel was hovering over him, watching Kratos' struggle, fear, and helplessness "She betrayed me. She deserves to be punished again. I trust you found the scars on her arm to be...impressive." Kratos mentally flinched, just imagining the pain Aura had been put through for that...was painful for him.
"Please... I'll do whatever you ask of me. Just don't hurt Aura. I beg of you, she's been through enough."
"Whatever I ask of you, you say? Beg of me, you say? Well..." what looked like a jagged blade made of crystal appeared in his lords hand, the other was balled into a tight fist. "I want you...to suffer...Kratos Aurion."

By this time, the Angel had learned this was a dream. But, when the crystal blade pierced through his heart, actual pain shot through his whole body. He gasped, and blood spurted out of his mouth. His body tried to writhe in pain, but it was no use. The bonds still around his wrists, ankles, and waist still holding firm. But despite this, he didn't die, he was alive, and had to suffer the pain.
"A-A-AH--!!!" he, yelled eyes screwing shut, but the yell was cut short when he coughed up more blood. There was a sickening metallic taste in his mouth, and he felt his blood flooding from the cut in his heart, down his chest. Yggdrasill smirked, and savored Kratos' pain,
"Yes. Yes. That's what I want, Kratos. I want you to suffer...I want to watch your pain." he said, he pressed the dagger deeper into Kratos' body, piercing at least halfway through his heart. But still, the man didn't die. *H-how?!* he thought, coughing up more blood, his eyes shut so tight that tears began to form in them. *Th-th-This is a dream!! How can I feel this-?!*
"A-A-A-AHHH!!!" he clenched his hands into tight fists. His arms strained against his invisible bonds. He strained to grab the crystal blade, to get away, to do something, but no use. Kratos was having to rely on pure arm strength, even a slight move of either shoulder would result in his chest moving. Meaning more pain
"It hurts, doesn't it?!" Yggdrasill demanded, a sadistic smirk on his face. "It hurts, feeling like your hearts been stabbed when the one you love, loves someone else!!!" he pushed the blade deeper; Kratos shrank back against the cold ground beneath him, trying to get away. He coughed up more blood, fighting for breath in between coughing.
"AHHH!!!!!"
"Because of YOU, Aura never loved me. Now you will suffer because of that!! And no matter what you do, you can't die in your own mind! You can't get away from me! I won't allow it! I won't allow you to die because of the seal on your life! But that means I will be able to make you suffer what I felt 10-fold!" Yggdrasill pushed the blade deeper one last time, the tip of the blade met with the stone of the floor Kratos was chained to. His eyes shot open, fists clenching so hard that his nails sank deep into his palms, entire fingers turning white. More pain than he thought imaginable shot through his body *This is a dream!! I... have... to... WAKE UP!!!*

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!" the Angel sat straight up in bed. Body shaking, chest heaving, heart racing. His face was covered in sweat and his eyes filled with fear. He looked around the room, seeing this was real. Yggdrasill wasn't here, nothing had happened to him. But that didn't make Kratos' heartbeat slow. He quickly jumped off his bed, and ran to a small mirror in the room. The Angel ripped away part of his shirt, revealing his chest. Nothing was there. Not even a scar from where Yggdrasill had stabbed him. With a shaky hand, Kratos touched the skin over his heart. Un-damaged, un-broken, he couldn't feel a thing. Not even a slight taste of blood in his mouth. He looked to his palms where he had pierced the skin with his nails from clenching his fists so tightly; but nothing was there either.

Kratos sat on his bed, finally catching his breath,. and stared blankly at the ground. His eyes filled with sorrow,
"...Aura...why can't he let you go?!" the Angel cursed, delving his hands into his hair and closing his eyes tightly. He laid back down in bed. "But...if I care about you so much...why does it seem like I can never...help you when you need me the most...?" the Angel didn't pull the sheets up or even bother to button up his shirt. Kratos stared blankly at the wall in front of him until he fell asleep.