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

QUIZ START:
"I'm sorry I never said anything about this until now." Regal apologized, "I'm a criminal."
"Master Regal confessed to killing Alicia and went to prison on his own will." George voiced,
"While I was in prison, the Pope promised to arrest Vharley in exchange for kidnapping Colette and Aura." Regal continued, "I believed him and agreed to do it."
"So that's why you were after us." Colette said understandingly,
"Yes..." the man nodded, "Please, I ask you to postpone my final judgment until we defeat Cruxis...and stop them from using Exspheres to toy with people's lives."
"As long as it’s okay with Presea." Lloyd agreed, "Anyway, we'd already thought of Regal as a friend."
"...Vharley was responsible for Alicia's death as well." Presea told him, "Okay. I'll...try not to think of you as my enemy. I'm not sure I can change right away, but..."
"...I'm sorry." Regal apologized again,
"It was Alicia's last request, so...I won't say a word about it anymore."
"So, where do we go now?" Lloyd asked,
"There's only one summon left in this world," Sheena told you all, "Shadow."
"Alright, then let's go there and be done with the Tethe'alla spirits!" Genis suggested, punching the air enthusiastically.

The sound of a Rheaird drawing close caused you all to turn. Said vessel landed on the rooftop,
"Miss Aura," a Renegade jumped off his place on the Rheaird and saluted you,
"What is it?" you asked,
"Is Yuan gonna kidnap her again?" Zelos teased,
"Lord Yuan has asked us to keep track of the mutated form of Clara Dorr." he said, "He asked that I inform you of her location,"
"Wh-where is she?" you ask hopefully,
"At the last check she was en route to the village of Izoold."
"Izoold...." Raine mumbled,
"Would you like me to escort you?" he asked,
"No, that's alright." you respond.
"I shall inform Lord Yuan that you all are headed to Izoold." he said, then boarded his Rheaird again and took off.
"I know it's out of the way," you said, turning back to them, "But... Could we please...?"
"Of course." Lloyd said, "We can't just leave Clara like that."
"Yes. We must do something to help her." Raine agreed. "Let's hurry."
"Alright then." Zelos said, "Back to Sylvarant."

After arriving at Izoold you froze,
'AAahahhhaaaaaa!!' a familiar, pained scream reached your ears,
"!!" your heart seemed to stop for a moment,
"What's wrong?" Lloyd asked,
"Clara..." you mumble, "I hear... Clara...."
'Kill me, please!'
"No!" you ran off into the village,
"Aura!" Genis called,
"We've gotta catch up to her." Colette ordered, then everyone gave chase. You all met up again at the beach; and find Clara surrounded by those Adventurers you had seen in Hima.
"This time were not gonna let you get away!" the leader announced,
"Clara!" you call out desperately, "Clara--no!"
"Stop!" Lloyd yelled, and you all ran to the adventurers.
"Not you again! If you interfere, well take you out, too!" the leader threatened.
"No, it's not what you think!" the brunette boy turned to you, "Aura, please!"
"Yes, I know...." you pause, "Professor--I don't know if..."
"Of course; I'll help you." Raine agreed.
'You?' Clara asked; everyone apparently hearing her talk due to the shocked looks on their faces.
"Clara, please--hold still." you ask. You and Raine work together; casting a spell with all the mana that you could force yourselves to use. A green light surrounded her; when it faded a woman with blonde stood there, confused.
"Uhh...." she stumbled, and you quickly rushed forward to catch her.
"Clara...!"
"Are you all right?" Lloyd asked,
"Clara, right?" Raine asked, "Can you hear me?"
"Yes...yes!" she sighed, "Thank you so much! I've finally returned to my original form!"
"Thank goodness!" Colette sighed, "Oh, I'm so glad!"
"Wh...wh...what?" the Adventurer stuttered, "Why did the monster turn into a human?"
"Are you stupid?" Genis demanded, "She was a human to begin with, but she was turned into a monster by the Desians."
"How can I possibly thank you?" Clara asked, standing on her own, when her energy was restored, "I have only a vague memory of when I was a monster, but I still remember that you saved Palmacosta." she looked to you regretfully, "Aura is your name, yes?"
"Y-yes." you nod,
"I remember....Hima. Even after I attacked you...you still refused to raise a hand against me. How can I thank you?"
"Don't worry about it," you assured, "I just wanted to make sure that you were returned to your original form."
"Hm..." she gave you a weak smile, "Thank you..."
"Please show the people of Palmacosta that you are well as soon as possible." Colette asked.
"I will." she promised.
"I'm sorry for dragging you all here." you apologize,
"Like I said before: Don't worry about it." Zelos assured.
"The last thing that we need in this world are more people who have been mutated." Regal agreed.

After returning to Tethe'alla you followed Sheena to the Temple of Darkness. It was an opening in the mountain wall, high above the ground; a rock ledge in front of the opening served as a landing place for you all. After stepping inside you found it was so dark you could hardly see at all, even with your angelic sight,
"Wow...Its pitch black...." Colette commented.
"It seems that the power of the Summon Spirit of Darkness has a strong effect on this area." Raine agreed,
"Man, it's so dark." Lloyd commented, walking forward, "Whoa!" he stumbled on an uneven surface, falling over,
"Owww!" Zelos groaned when the boy landed on his foot, "My precious foot!" You shivered, a foreboding feeling coming over you. You remembered a Coffin Master, and feeling frightened and worried about finding someone...
"We can't proceed like this." Raine announced.
"Let's try the Elemental Research Laboratory." the ninja suggested, "They've supposedly done research here before, so they should know a way to light this darkness." you were still squinting through the dark to try and find the source of your strange feeling.
"Yes, that sounds like a good idea." Raine nodded, "Come on, everyone. Let's go back outside."
"Okay!" Colette agreed
"M...my foot..." Zelos whined. After getting outside, the sudden light of the sun stung all of your eyes for a moment. As everyone spoke of leaving for Meltokio, you pipe up,
"Professor, everyone...could...could we stay here? Please?" you ask, "I mean--stay the night."
"Why?" Lloyd asked,
"I...I have a strange feeling about this place. Like some things I've forgotten are here; they're close..."
"You want to stay and try to find them?" Zelos asked,
"If possible..." you murmur,
"Well...I'm okay with staying here, I guess." Lloyd asked. Everyone gradually agreed.
"Thanks, everyone."

That night, you paced slowly near the entrance,
"You aren't gonna go back in there, are you?" Zelos asked, making you jump. He had an unlit torch in one hand, leaned against his shoulder,
"Well...I was..."
"Alright then, let's go." the end of the torch burst into flame when he cast fireball towards it. He grabbed your hand and headed towards the entrance,
"Wh-what?"
"C'mon--we can explore a little bit. This torch lasts an hour; we can explore around the entrance a bit, and see if you remember anything." he responded,
"A...Thank you, Zelos." you smiled a bit. The two of you walked into the temple together. The light from the torch, surprisingly, didn't penetrate very far through the darkness. "Come on, this way." you didn't pull your hand from his, but guided him through the darkness.
"What's this way?" Zelos asked,
"The...entrance? I think..." you murmur. You froze suddenly, resulting in Zelos bumping into you,
"Woah--sorry....Hm?"
"......" you stared into the darkness, feeling a strange feeling coming over you,
"Aura...?" he asked, walking around so he was in front of you. You close your eyes and let the memories come to you...
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"The Coffin Master is dead," Yuan's voice exclaimed from nearby. He was hurriedly throwing herbs and potion ingredients in a pot over a fire, "Aura, open the coffin! Hurry!" Using your sword, you pried open the lid of a coffin that was near you; you were curious as to why, however when you opened it your heart practically stopped.
Kratos was lying inside the coffin, his face deathly pale.
He wasn't moving...
He cringed slightly when the light from the fire reached him.
"Kratos!!" you exclaimed, tears welling in your eyes. You grabbed his shoulders and shook him desperately, trying to wake him up; he cringed a little more, but other than that he didn't respond to your call. You cried again, desperately, "Kratos, wake up!" but he didn't move... "Kratos, Please!" you beg.
Even though you were supposed to hate the auburn haired angel, you found that you never could... There was a soft spot in your broken heart for him... But you had no idea how much him being dead would affect you.
No, he couldn't be dead! And then, gratefully, you noticed....

Breathing... He was breathing. He was still alive! But--even if he was still alive, he looked so...

"Say something!" you felt the tears in your eyes about to overflow when he wouldn't move. "Kratos!" you turned back to the fire about to bawl, "Yuan--Niisan, help!" his eyes filled with concern at your expression. He threw a few more things in the pot before standing. You press your hand against his cheek to find his skin felt like ice, "You're so cold...!" you gasp, you turn back to Yuan, "Yuan-- Hurry, please!" he ran over to you and put a hand on your shoulder.
"Calm down, Aura...panicking isn't going to help, alright?" Yuan soothed quickly. He placed his hand on your arm, and gently pulled your hand from Kratos' cheek,
"B-but..." you murmur worriedly. Kratos groaned suddenly, turning his head to the side slightly as if he was flinching away from the firelight. "Kratos...!" more an exclamation of relief that he was alright...
"Easy, easy..." the half elf patted your shoulder before reaching down for one of Kratos' arms, "They say that these coffins make people want to die... The coffin's open now, we've gotten him back..." Yuan murmured, slinging one of Kratos' arms over his shoulder and bracing his weight to get him up. "Calm down, Aura, he'll be fine... Just let him rest." he assured,
"....." Kratos let out another low groan as Yuan picked him up, and carried him to the fireside, setting him down in a sitting position and keeping him upright with an arm behind his shoulders. You clutched one of his hands, holding it to the base of your neck worriedly. You opened your mouth to ask him if he was alright, however your voice didn't come out. The world around you swirled slowly, then dissolved away.
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"Aura...C'mon, Aura, this isn't funny anymore!" Zelos exclaimed, shaking your shoulders,
"Ah--wh-what?" you looked at him, confused. The torch was on the ground next to you, both his hands on your shoulders,
"You did that zoning out thing again, and then you went pale." he explained seriously, "What the hell happened to you?"
"Nothing." you shook your head to help prove the point, "I...Just.... I just don't feel very well..." you lie,
"Yeah...?" Zelos mumbled, "Er--no offense, but I think that's enough remembering for today, huh? Come on, let's get back outside."
"Y-yeah, okay." you nod. Zelos picked up the torch, grabbed your wrist, and hurriedly led you out of the temple. As you hurried out you wondered what happened to Kratos...You pictured his pale, dead-looking face and shuddered, "Zelos...are... are there any monsters that carry coffins...?" you murmur.
"Mm?" he glanced back at you, confused by how quietly you'd asked the question. You could see moonlight flooding in from the entrance not far ahead, so Zelos slowed his pace slightly,
"Yeah...there are things called Coffin Masters..." he responded. "They capture people and trap them in the coffins they carry on their backs. "They say...that being trapped in the coffin makes you want to die."
"How?" you ask,
"...." he looked at you incredulously, not understanding why you were so curious,
"One...one of my friends..." you explain, deciding against telling him that it was really Kratos, "They were almost killed by a Coffin Master...Yuan and I...we managed to get them out just in time..." the two of you had stopped, Zelos watching your expression as it became sad, "They...they were so pale...they almost looked dead..." you shivered.
"...they..." he was almost reluctant to say, "They make you want to die by draining away your life... They drain your life slowly; and pull you into a deep depression, making you want to die even more...Eventually you just give up and..." you squeezed his hand weakly, "H-hey, c'mon, no more of this huh?" he asked. He elbowed you in the ribs gently, "C'mon, you said it yourself. Your friend was Almost killed by that Coffin Master. But they're still alive right? They should be fine!"
"Y...yeah..." you smiled weakly, "Yeah; they survived...they're alright."
"There, that's better. My beautiful Silver Maiden is smiling again." he grinned half heartedly, "Come on, this place gives me the creeps..."
"Yeah...me too..." you murmur, shivering. Even though it was dark outside, the moonlight and the campfire held some a promise of more light.